COVID-19: UN chief calls for global ceasefire to focus on ‘the true fight of our lives’ – UN News

The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war, he said. That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world.It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.

The ceasefire would allow humanitarians toreach populations that are most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, last December, and has now been reported in more than 180 countries.

So far, there are nearly300,000 cases worldwide, and more than 12,700 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Asthe UN chiefpointed out,COVID-19does not care about nationality or ethnicity, or otherdifferences between people, and attacks all, relentlessly, including during wartime.

Itis the most vulnerable-women and children, people with disabilities, the marginalized, displaced and refugees-who pay the highest price during conflict and who are most at risk of suffering devastating losses from the disease.

Furthermore,health systems in war-ravaged countries haveoften reached the point oftotalcollapse, while the few health workers who remainare also seen as targets.

The UN chief called on warring parties topull back from hostilities, put aside mistrust and animosity, and silence the guns;stop the artillery; end the airstrikes.

This is crucial, he said, tohelp create corridors for life-saving aid.Toopen preciouswindows for diplomacy.Tobring hope toplaces among themost vulnerableto COVID-19.

Whileinspired bynew rapprochement and dialoguebetween combatantsto enable jointapproaches topush backthe disease, the Secretary-Generalsaid morestillneeds to be done.

End the sickness of war and fight thedisease that is ravaging our world, he appealed. It starts by stopping the fighting everywhere. Now.That is what our human familyneeds, now more than ever.

The Secretary-Generals appeal was broadcast live over the Internet from a virtual press conference held at UN Headquarters in New York, where most staff are now working from home to help curb further spread of COVID-19.

He answered questions from reporters which were read by Melissa Fleming, head of the UN Department of Global Communications, the parent office of UN News.

The UN chief said his Special Envoys will work with warring parties to make sure the cease-fire appeal leads to action.

Asked how he was feeling, Mr. Guterres responded that he is strongly determined, underlining that the UN must be active at this moment.

The UN must fully assume its responsibilities first doing what we have to do our peacekeeping operations, our humanitarian agencies, our support to the different bodies of the international community, the Security Council, the General Assembly but, at the same time, its a moment in which the UN must be able to address the peoples of the world and appeal for a massive mobilisation and for a massive pressure on governments to make sure that we are able to respond to this crisis, not to mitigate it but to suppress it, to suppress the disease and to address the dramatic economic and social impacts of the disease, he said.

And we can only do it if we do it together, if we do in a coordinated way, if we do it with intense solidarity and cooperation, and that is the raison detre of the United Nations itself.

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COVID-19: UN chief calls for global ceasefire to focus on 'the true fight of our lives' - UN News