We’ll be safe if everybody’s safe: UN chief
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has emphasized securing Covid-19 vaccine for everybody and said a lack of solidarity on the part of some richer nations towards developing countries means we will all pay much price.
“We need an inexpensive vaccine for everyone everywhere, because we is only going to be safe if everybody’s safe,” he told UN News within an exclusive interview prior to the new General Assembly session.
“To think that we can preserve the rich people, and let the poor persons suffer, is a stupid mistake,” he said.
Prior to the unprecedented and mostly virtual UNGA75, Guterres said outlines his priorities for the year ahead.
The UN chief reiterated the imperative of silencing the guns through a global ceasefire so the world can truly unite against the virus; building true solidarity through the “global public good” of a vaccine for all, open to all; and making sure the world keeps global warming below 1.5 degrees and achieves carbon neutrality through climate action, by 2050.
Asked how he'd assess where we are now with this pandemic, Guterres said he was “worried sick” as the pandemic has demonstrated us the enormous fragility of the world.
“A microscopic virus has put us on our knees. This will lead to a lot of humility in world leaders, and also to unity and solidarity in the fight Covid-19,” he said.
“But we realize that there's been no unity. Each country has adopted its strategy, and we start to see the results: the virus has progressed everywhere.”
Working together
Globally confirmed coronavirus cases stood at 29,477,183 with 933,490 confirmed deaths on Wednesday morning, based on the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
The US, which may be the worst damaged country, has reported 6,604,156 cases with 195,735 fatalities. India’s coronavirus caseload has surpassed 5 million.
Coronavirus cases were first reported in China in December this past year. The World Health Organisation declared it a pandemic in March.
Bangladesh reported its first cases on March 8 and the first death on March 18. The country has so far recorded over 340,000 cases and a lot more than 4,000 deaths.
Getuerres noted that people in developing countries are suffering much due to too little solidarity among nations.
“This is negative for everyone,” he said, because if we cannot properly address Covid-19 in these countries, the virus dates back and forth and we'll all pay a heavy price, even in the richest countries on earth.
Guterres said we are in need of everyone to interact and noted that it is absolutely essential a vaccine be considered a global public good, a people’s vaccine.
