UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls the world to support WHO

  09 April 2020    Read: 1611
  UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls the world to support WHO

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the world to support t he World Health Organization (WHO) in his latest statement describing the UN health agency, which has led the multilateral response since the beginning, as “absolutely critical” in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most dangerous challenges this world has faced in our lifetime”, the UN chief said in a statement. “It is above all a human crisis with severe health and socio-economic consequences. 

Mr Guterres highlighted that thousands of WHO staff, who were in the field, fight the virus on the front lines and support Member States and serving the most vulnerable among them with guidance, training, equipment and concrete life-saving assistance.  

"I witnessed first-hand the courage and determination of WHO staff when I visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year, where WHO staff are working in precarious conditions and very dangerous remote locations as they fight the deadly Ebola virus. It has been a remarkable success for WHO that no new cases of Ebola have been registered in months', Guterres noted.

"This virus is unprecedented in our lifetime and requires an unprecedented response", he stated.

He brought attention to the fact that there is a possibility of misinterpretation of the same facts by different entities: "Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis".

He also pointed out that this process will allow us to learn the lessons that would definitely facilitate to effectively address similar challenges in the future.

But now is not that time. Now is the time for unity, for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences", he added.


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