UN CHIEF DECLARES COVID-19 AS THE WORLD’S TOP SECURITY THREAT

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has called the coronavirus pandemic the world’s top security threat and urged greater cooperation in controlling outbreaks and developing an affordable vaccine, the New York Times repoted early on September 17, 2020.

“Our world is nearing the grimmest of milestones: one million lives lost to the virus. Meanwhile, the outbreak remains out of control. The virus is the No. 1 global security threat in our world today, and that is why in March I called for a global cease-fire. My appeal resonated with member states, civil society and a number of armed groups across the world. And today from Afghanistan to Sudan, we see hopeful new steps towards peace. Many pin their hopes on a vaccine. But let’s be clear. There is no panacea in a pandemic. We need to massively expand new and existing tools that can respond to new cases, and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives, especially over the next 12 months. But starting now, a vaccine must be seen as a global public good because Covid-19 respects no borders. We need the vaccine to be affordable and available to all,” Guterres argued.

He called for greater cooperation to develop and distribute an affordable vaccine and criticized what he called “deadly misinformation” that could dissuade people from getting vaccinated. Guterres also said he would press the organization’s 193 member states to help ensure that nations heed his plea for a worldwide cease-fire in all armed conflicts, which he called for six months ago to help combat the pandemic.

The UN has been unable to orchestrate a coordinated global response to the scourge and its pleas for billions of dollars in emergency aid for the neediest countries have so far only engendered what Mark Lowcock, the organization’s top relief official, has called a “tepid” response. On Tuesday, the new president of the General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, a veteran Turkish diplomat, announced he would convene a special session of the body during the first week of November devoted to addressing the pandemic.

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