"In the fight against Corona, we either act united or we fail"

The UN Secretary-General criticized the inconsistent approaches around the world in the fight against the coronavirus at a meeting of the World Health Organization. Guterres stressed that the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic can only be managed with the collective cooperation of all countries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the coronavirus as “the greatest challenge of our time” on Monday, May 18, at the opening of the annual meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO). He strongly criticized the international community’s contradictory responses and emphasized that solving the problem is only possible with a collective approach.

"Different countries have pursued different and sometimes contradictory strategies, and we are all paying a heavy price for it," Guterres said in a video message.

Guterres complained about the way different countries have handled the spread of the new coronavirus, saying there was “very little agreement.” Guterres said many countries have ignored the World Health Organization’s advice, which is why the virus has spread around the world.

“Either joint performance or failure”

Guterres stressed that research must be conducted to trace the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted: “We need to investigate where the virus came from, how it was able to spread so quickly around the world. But now is not the time for that. Now is the time for the world to act in solidarity to stop the spread of the virus. “We will either unite or fail through this pandemic,” Guterres stressed.

Repeated US accusations against the World Health Organization

The United States has once again leveled harsh accusations against the World Health Organization. U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar said in a video address to the World Health Organization’s annual video conference on Monday that one of the “major reasons the coronavirus outbreak got out of control” was that the WHO failed to “get the information that the world needed.” He said that this “failure” has cost too many lives around the world.

Referring to China, Izar said that in a clear attempt to conceal the spread of the disease, at least one member state of the organization has failed to fulfill its obligations for transparency, and this has come at a heavy cost to the entire world.

The US health secretary stressed that the WHO has failed in its “core duty” to “get information and ensure transparency.” He said this “should never happen again” and that countries now need a “more effective” WHO.

The US government has been at odds with both China and the World Health Organization for weeks over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus. US President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of “mismanaging” the coronavirus crisis and favoring China unilaterally, and has halted its funding to the UN agency.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also condemned Taiwan's exclusion from the World Health Organization's annual meeting. "Under pressure from China, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not invite Taiwan to the conference," Pompeo said in Washington.

Pompeo said the director-general's "lack of independence" deprives the WHO of "Taiwan's renowned scientific experts on pandemics," damaging the organization's credibility and success at a time when the world needs it most.

At the annual meeting of the World Health Organization, member states decided to postpone a discussion on granting membership status to Taiwan. China sees Taiwan as a province that should be rejoined by the People's Republic of China. Taiwan has become increasingly isolated internationally, with only 15 countries remaining in diplomatic relations with Taipei.

Merkel: We must act unitedly

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called on the international community to use all its forces as a single force in the fight against the coronavirus. "We are experiencing a global crisis that no country can solve alone, we must act united," the German Chancellor said.

Merkel said that despite many efforts and international initiatives, the pandemic shows that more needs to be done globally. She cited, for example, better early warning mechanisms and preventive measures, more research cooperation and stronger health systems.

China's self-defense 

Chinese President Xi Jinping defended his country's handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese president stressed that China responded to the outbreak with transparency and informed the international community as quickly as possible. Xi stressed that China shared pathogen data with other countries in a timely manner. With these remarks, the Chinese president responded to criticism of the country, especially from the United States, which accuses China of covering up the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

China also announced that if anyone develops a vaccine against the virus, Beijing would make it a “global public good.” He said his country had allocated $2 billion over two years to the global fight against the coronavirus.

The issuance of a joint resolution by the member states of the World Health Organization is supported by only more than half of the organization's member states.

Source: DW