Global Response to Pandemic Is Fragmented: António Guterres
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday (September 24) appealed for building trust among different countries to deal with the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
The dangerous mix of high geo-political tensions and complex threats to peace, now complicated by Covid-19, demands innovative thinking on global governance and multilateralism, Mr Guterres said while briefing the Security Council via video link.
He added that the Covid-19 pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation – a test we have essentially failed. “It has killed nearly one million people around the world, infected over 30 million, and remains largely out of control. This was the result of a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity,” Mr Guterres said.
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FAILURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been behaving as a church preacher instead of working as a capable administrator. He often issues condemnation statements and customary messages which are ignored by those who are supposed to follow them. You don’t need a UN Secretary-General to deliver hollow sermons which can be delivered by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Since Mr Guterres has completely failed in his position to maintain peace and safeguard the fundamental rights of people around the world, he must step down and the UN must be dissolved immediately. By Rakesh Raman |
With the 15 Council members, also joining remotely, Mr. Guterres called for networked multilateralism based on strong links and cooperation between global and regional organizations, international financial institutions, and other global alliances and bodies.
The need is all the more pressing with worsening impact of the pandemic. “We have no choice. Either we come together in global institutions that are fit for purpose, or we will be crushed by divisiveness and chaos,” said the Secretary-General.
Convened by Niger, in its capacity as the President of the Council for the month of September, the summit-level event discussed reforms to global governance in the context of peace and security, against the backdrop of the pandemic. The meeting was chaired by Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Republic of the Niger.
Alongside the responsibility of the UN to improve the effectiveness of global governance, according to Mr Guterres, Member States also have an equally important role in forging collective action to common challenges.
Conflict, human rights abuses, humanitarian crises, and stalled progress on development, reinforce each other and are interlinked, while global response is more and more fragmented, Mr Guterres warned.
