Guterres Warns of Potential ‘Devastating’ Famine and Poverty Following Coronavirus Outbreak
The UN Secretary-General has warned world leaders that if immediate action is not taken, the COVID-19 pandemic will create famine, poverty and hunger that will result in “unimaginable devastation and suffering” globally.
António Guterres spoke on June 8 at the largest summit of world leaders since the outbreak of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
He said 1.6 billion people on Earth may no longer be able to afford even their basic living expenses, and 60 million people have fallen below the absolute poverty line.
Mr. Guterres said the current crisis will have severe consequences for countries whose people have low or moderate incomes, and these countries are in need of the most assistance.
The senior UN official has estimated that with an $8.5 trillion decline in production at the international level, the world will face the most severe economic contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
The UN Secretary-General has called for immediate and collective action in six areas: increasing financial liquidity; debt forgiveness; engaging with private lenders; promoting foreign financial resources; closing channels leading to tax evasion, money laundering and corruption; and addressing inequalities, combating injustices and tackling climate change.
Mr. Guterres has emphasized that addressing the consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic requires financial resources and money, but without these resources, costs will be far greater: “This is a global crisis, and getting out of it depends on all of us.”
At Thursday’s meeting, which was held via video, nearly 50 world leaders expressed their views. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was among the other hosts of the summit. The heads of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank also attended the session.
However, there was no sign of leaders of major economies and international powers, the presidents of the United States and China. The President of Russia also did not participate in the summit.
Source: Radio Farda
