Five years of International Day of Epidemic: Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy reveal story
On the morning of December 7, 2020, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted Resolution A/RES/75/27, establishing the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on December 27 each year.
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| Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy introduces the Resolution establishing the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on December 27. (Source: Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN) |
Brewing an idea
At the end of 2018, a few months after taking up my duties at the Vietnamese Mission to the United Nations in New York, I curiously asked my colleagues: Do any ASEAN countries have initiatives for international days? Someone replied: Singapore has Toilet Day. I browsed the UN website for international days and found that almost every day of the year is dedicated to an international event or issue, with some days even having two or three names.
The common purpose of international days is to remind humanity of an event or issue of vital importance to mankind. From there, a thought kept brewing: how to have an international day initiated by Vietnam.
In March 2020, just two weeks after China assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, halting Security Council meetings. Unlike other UN bodies, if the Security Council fails to make decisions, it immediately impacts the vital issues of millions in conflict areas.
After more than a week, Security Council members agreed on the format for online meetings and immediately discussed a draft resolution to respond to Covid-19. The differing views of the US and China on the origin of the pandemic left the Security Council almost “paralyzed” on this issue.
At the United Nations General Assembly, where most members are small and medium-sized countries lacking resources to fight the pandemic, the issue heated up quickly. Following directives from home, the Mission actively participated in discussions, proposing ideas for cooperation and resource sharing, though our actual capabilities were limited.
By around May 2020, when the UN established the Covax Mechanism to mobilize and equitably distribute vaccines, ensuring access for the poor and those most in need.
The directive from home was for the Mission to explore the possibility of promoting a General Assembly resolution on an international day for epidemic preparedness. We were delighted, as this was something the Mission had long aspired to.
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| The tenure of Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy at the Vietnamese Mission to the United Nations coincided with the most pressing international issue at the time: the Covid-19 pandemic. (Source: Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN) |
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Seizing the opportunity and “Acting immediately”
We calculated that if we prepared well, once the pandemic was under control, presenting the draft resolution to the General Assembly would surely lead to its adoption.
In collaboration with the Department of International Organizations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Mission immediately began preparations following the General Assembly's resolution process. Acting immediately to seize the opportunity and to avoid other countries having similar ideas.
I assigned Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative (second), to devise a plan to rally some like-minded countries with good relations with us to form a Core Group, drafting necessary documents, especially the General Assembly draft resolution.
Countries like Canada, Niger, Senegal, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, and Spain agreed to join. This was the first time we initiated, chaired the drafting, and negotiated a General Assembly resolution, so there were many surprises.
With the close cooperation of domestic units, especially the Department of International Organizations, the Mission worked diligently, learning as we went and leveraging support from Core Group members, particularly Canada.
Initially, we considered March 11, the day the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic, but the Japanese Mission suggested otherwise due to its overlap with the day Japan commemorates the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Next, we considered Yersin's birthday. However, upon further investigation, we found that while Yersin is well-known in Vietnam, he is not widely recognized internationally. Ultimately, we chose Louis Pasteur's birthday, which received support from Core Group members. They also suggested changing “epidemic prevention” to “epidemic preparedness” as it is challenging to completely prevent future outbreaks. To garner more support, we met with the French Ambassador and Pasteur Institute leaders in New York, who were very pleased and promised active advocacy.
In the following months, together with Core Group members, we lobbied countries, assigning members to rally their friends and regional countries. Spain lobbied European countries, Niger and Senegal lobbied African countries, Saint Vincent & Grenadines lobbied Latin American countries… The goal was to secure as many co-sponsors as possible.
On the morning of December 7, 2020, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted Resolution A/RES/75/27, establishing the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on December 27 each year. Canada, Niger, Senegal, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, and Spain co-authored the resolution with Vietnam, and 107 other countries from all regions co-sponsored the Resolution.
