January 28, 2021
2 mins read

Guterres seeks global attention to 3 emergencies

The secretary-general said that the first global emergency that needs immediate attention is the “distribution of vaccines for Covid-19.”…reports Asian Lite News

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for immediate attention to three global emergencies after listing a long string of threats and challenges the world is facing.

“Among the challenges we face, there are three global emergencies that demand immediate attention,” the UN chief told the press conference held at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The secretary-general said that the first global emergency that needs immediate attention is the “distribution of vaccines for Covid-19.”

Guterres said that more than 70 million doses have been administered, but less than 20,000 of these were on the African continent.

“A global immunity gap puts everyone at risk,” he said.

“Vaccine nationalism is an economic as well as a moral failure,” he said. “While every country has the right – and the duty – to protect its own people, no country can afford to neglect the rest of the world.”

“We must close the funding gap; ramp-up vaccine production by making licenses widely available and sharing technology; and get doses into the arms of all who need them – starting with health workers and those most at risk around the world,” said the secretary-general, adding that “we need a global vaccination campaign to deal with a global pandemic.”

“The second area for urgent action is financial support for all countries that need it,” said Guterres.

“In today’s world, self-interest cannot be separated from solidarity. The global economy is made up of an intricate web of transactions between developed and developing countries,” he said.

“While the pandemic continues to disrupt supply chains, developed (economies) will not make a full recovery,” added the UN chief.

The top UN official warned that for a fast and full recovery, the developed world should not only share vaccines equitably; it should support developing economies by ensuring continued liquidity, including through the issuance of Special Drawing Rights, and expanding debt relief to all developing countries and Middle-income countries in need of it.

Guterres said the third global emergency is the climate crisis.

“The recovery from the pandemic must embrace renewable energy and green and resilient infrastructure,” he said. “We have an opportunity to end our senseless war on nature and start the healing process.”

“At five minutes to midnight, governments are finally starting to listen to scientists, businesses, cities, academia and in particular, the young people who have been global leaders on this issue,” said the UN chief, noting that “we need to build on that momentum.”

Guterres underscored that the central objective of the United Nations for 2021 is to build a global coalition for carbon neutrality by 2050. “Every country, city, financial institution and company needs to adopt credible plans for transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050, and take decisive action now to put themselves on the right path.”

“Countries must review their Nationally Determined Contributions before COP26 (the UN Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 compared with 2010 levels,” he said.

Also read:Pakistan objects to new UNSC permanent seats

Previous Story

British Herald publisher Ansif Ashraf Passed Away

Next Story

Indian Embassy In Italy vandalised by pro-Khalistani supporters: Report

Latest from -Top News

Pak Army Chief Targets India Again

This is not the first time that Munir has indulged in loose talk, exhibiting conduct unbecoming an officer….reports Asian Lite News Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir on

Yunus Must Be Treated Like Hasina, Warn Islamists

Islamist group made these warnings to the interim government, terming the women’s reform body proposals as “anti-Islamic…reports Asian Lite News The radical Islamist group in Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam, has issued a threat, stating

UN: Bring Pahalgam Terrorists to Justice

The members of the Security Council “stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable..reports Asian Lite News The Security Council has “condemned in the strongest terms” the Pahalgam terrorist

Vatican Hosts Final Rites for Pope Francis

The Argentine-born pontiff, the first from Latin America, died less than a month after returning home from a prolonged five-week hospitalisation for double pneumonia….reports Asian Lite News In an outpouring of global
Go toTop