Thursday, March 26, 2020

Help the vulnerable

 United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said, "COVID-19 is threatening the whole of humanity - and the whole of humanity must fight back. Global action and solidarity are crucial. Individual country responses are not going to be enough."

In a Monday letter to the G20 group of leading economic powers, he pushed for a "war-time" stimulus bill "in the trillions of dollars" to help poor countries. The plan "aims to enable us to fight the virus in the world's poorest countries, and address the needs of the most vulnerable people, especially women and children, older people, and those with disabilities or chronic illness. 

If fully funded, "it will save many lives and arm humanitarian agencies and NGOs with laboratory supplies for testing, and with medical equipment to treat the sick while protecting health care workers", he added. 
The UN plan is designed to last from April to December - suggesting the world body does not see the health crisis abating any time soon. The plan foresees two general scenarios as to how the pandemic might evolve. Under the first, the pandemic is brought under control relatively quickly as its rate of spread slows over the course of three or four months. This, the UN said, would allow for a relatively swift recovery in terms of public health and the economy. But under the second model, the pandemic spreads quickly in countries that are poor or developing, mainly in Africa, Asia and parts of the Americas.
"This leads to longer periods of closed borders and limited freedom of movement, further contributing to a global slowdown that is already under way," said the UN.
Money will be used for a variety of purposes: to set up handwashing facilities in refugee camps, launch public awareness campaigns, and establish humanitarian air shuttles with Africa, Asia and Latin America, the UN said. 
The plan names 20 or so nations as deserving top priority for aid, including some enduring war or some degree of conflict, including Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela and Ukraine. But countries such as Iran and North Korea are also analysed. 
In parallel, humanitarian aid provided yearly by member states to help 100 million people around the world must continue. Otherwise, he said, the coronavirus pandemic could lead to rampant outbreaks of other diseases such as cholera and measles, as well as higher levels of malnutrition.
"This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable," Guterres said.


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