PM Imran urges G20 countries to extend debt relief for at least a year

Dunya News

PM Imran said that everyone in the world should have easy access to the coronavirus vaccine.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday demanded the G20 countries to extend debt relief for at least a year.

Addressing the Financing for Development summit on Tuesday on the sidelines of UN General Assembly Session through video link, he said that everyone in the world should have easy access to the coronavirus vaccine, adding that no one is safe until everyone is safe.

The prime minister said that the world is still not completely safe from the Coronavirus epidemic and hopefully the vaccine will be ready soon.

Imran Khan said that the pandemic has had extraordinary effects on the world, adding that Pakistan adopted smart lockdown policy in epidemic and managed to stop the spread of the epidemic.

He went on to say that virus must be controlled to deal with medical and economic emergencies, adding that extending the easing of debt repayments should not affect credit ratings.

The premier said investment in sustainable infrastructure will be key to a resilient economic recovery and realization of SDGs.

He stressed the need to create a UN Infrastructure Investment Facility to mobilize an additional 1.5 Trillion dollars annually in the developing countries as the IMF estimates that developing countries will require an additional 2.5 Trillion dollars to recover from COVID-induced contraction.

Prime Minister said we must break the shackles of poverty and inequality.

He said COVID-19 pandemic is inflicting unparalleled human suffering and controlling the virus is critical to address both the health and the economic emergency.