Pak PM Imran Khan speaks to Bill gates; discusses pandemic, polio eradication

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates and discussed a slew of matters, including the latest status of COVID-19 pandemic, polio eradication campaign and climate change.

Khan expressed appreciation for the work of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for fighting poverty, combating COVID-19 pandemic and inequalities around the world, according to a statement by the Prime Minister Office.

Khan apprised Gates about Pakistan’s flagship initiatives, including the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Initiative, the statement said.

Gates acknowledged Pakistan’s commitment to address climate change and agreed that the world must come together to face the global challenge, the statement added.

While highlighting that food systems are particularly vulnerable to climate change, he emphasised that the global leaders should prioritise investments in agricultural research for adaptation.

He also suggested Prime Minister Khan to leverage Pakistan’s unique voice to raise awareness for increasing global support for smallholder farmers.

While commending the Gates Foundation's strong advocacy to promote equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of equitable, timely, and scaled delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to low-income countries.

Khan and Gates agreed on the importance of urgently stopping the spread of COVID-19, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister also reaffirmed that eradication of Polio remained a key priority of the government and efforts were underway to intensify the anti-Polio campaign across the country despite COVID-19 related challenges.

The Prime Minister affirmed his commitment to strengthening efforts nationwide to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.PTI SH RUP RUP RUP

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)