World leaders at the G20 virtual summit held on March 26 committed to inject over $5 trillion into the global economy to counteract the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They will also expand manufacturing capacity to meet the huge and increasing demand for medical supplies, which will be made available at an affordable price and in the shortest possible time, pledged the leading economic powers.
The UN Secretary-General, the world’s top diplomat, was among those taking part, stressing that “we are at war with a virus – and not winning it”.
António Guterres delivered a three-part message to leaders, urging concerted action to suppress the virus and to minimize the social and economic impact of the pandemic.
“We must work together now to set the stage for a recovery that builds a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable economy, guided by our shared promise — the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, he concluded.
With the pandemic accelerating exponentially overall, the man at the forefront of global response urged the G20 to “fight like hell” against what he called “the defining health crisis of our time”.
Like the Secretary-General, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, also delivered three messages to leaders: fight, unite and ignite.
“First, fight. Fight hard. Fight like hell. Fight like your lives depend on it – because they do”, he said.
Tedros warned that “without aggressive action in all countries, millions could die”.
Original source: UN News
Published on 26 March 2020
