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UN Secretary General António Guterres says the world must fight the effects of the coronavirus for decades, even if vaccines are quickly approved now.
On Thursday, Guterres opened a separate special session on coronavirus at the UN General Assembly, held virtually for infection control reasons. He praised the work that has been done to develop vaccines, but stressed that it is not a definitive solution to the crown crisis.
– Let’s not fool ourselves. A vaccine cannot repair the damage that will extend for several years, if not decades, into the future, Guterres said according to the minutes of the inauguration.
– Extreme poverty is increasing, the threat of hunger looms. We are facing the biggest global recession in eight decades, said the UN chief.
Erna’s two messages
Erna Solberg is one of 100 world leaders who have delivered prerecorded video addresses to the summit. Solberg says he has two messages: The pandemic must be resolved through cooperation, and the world must better prepare for the next pandemic or global crisis.
– First of all, we must tackle the current crisis and stop the pandemic as soon as possible. Perhaps we are facing the darkest moment of the pandemic, says Solberg.
– Unemployment, human suffering, desperate health workers and the collapse of social systems are happening everywhere. But those are bright spots. News of effective vaccines gives us hope, says the Prime Minister.
You want a world summit
She emphasizes that it is through joint efforts that the world can resolve the crisis. This must be done by ensuring global and fair access to vaccines and medicines, Solberg says.
Solberg calls on various countries to assume their share of responsibility for ensuring the world’s health services.
– My second message is that we must get better tools to face future pandemics and crises. World leaders must develop a master plan, in which the responsibility for future work is clarified. We must strengthen our common defense. I support the proposal for a world summit to discuss this, says Solberg.
Historical meeting
The corona pandemic has also exacerbated other problems facing the world, such as growing disparities and the climate crisis, notes UN Secretary General Guterres.
Guterres stressed that it was a historic moment when the UN General Assembly met for the first time in a special session to address the coronavirus.
Volkan Bozkir, president of the General Assembly, said the world was looking to the UN to find a common solution to the pandemic.
– We have come together here to find a way forward and out of suffering, he said.
– Not much advice was followed
At the same time, Guterres criticized countries that ignored advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) on how to deal with the threat from the crown.
– Unfortunately, there was a lot of advice that was not followed. And in some cases, the facts were rejected and the advice ignored, Guterres said.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel are among about 100 world leaders who have sent pre-recorded speeches to the special session.
