(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles has signed a United Nations declaration on equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines to show its support, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

The island nation became a signatory to the declaration on May 7, and the Foreign Affairs Ministry said that "this is an important declaration for Seychelles to support as we stand firmly for equitable access to the vaccines in order to fight this devastating pandemic."

"Seychelles has been fortunate to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses from close bilateral friends. However, we are cognizant of the severe inequalities and unfair distribution of vaccines worldwide and are especially concerned for the low-and-middle income countries that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and the multifaceted ripple effects," the Foreign Affairs Ministry added.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, has received COVID-19 vaccines from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India and Russia.

Members states of the United Nations agreed In March to a political declaration aimed at providing equitable access to the coronavirus vaccines across the world. The declaration was coordinated by the representatives of Brazil, Egypt, Fiji, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Seychelles' government believes in the principles of this declaration of working together in solidarity for the common good and remaining committed to multilateralism.

"We join the call for increased access to concessional funding for improved national health infrastructures and facilitation of vaccination processes; the Secretary-General's call for a global ceasefire; the maintenance of routine immunisation programmes, and vaccine sensitisation and transparency to address misinformation," added the Ministry.

A total of 181 other UN Member State are signatories to the declaration.