UN talks the talk but will nations walk the walk?

Unless global leaders act now, the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres painted a picture of hunger and famine at historic proportions, with some 60 million people pushed into extreme poverty and half the global workforce — 1.6 billion people — left without work, and $8.5 trillion in global output lost. 

“Many developing and even middle-income countries are highly vulnerable and already in debt distress – or will soon become so, due to the global recession,” Guterres said.

Dr Donald Kaberuka, Special Envoy from the African Union, warned against the world resorting to an individualistic approach as they reel from the economic collapse of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“After the global financial crisis, every country went back to address their own problems. Global solidarity declined very quickly,” Kaberuka said. “We can’t afford to let this happen this time.”

David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown of developed economies will result in poverty for 60 million people, highlighting issues such as reduced incomes for migrant workers and a drop in remittance flows. 

“Wide spillover from the pandemic and the shutdown in advanced economies hit the poor and vulnerable, women, children, and healthcare workers hardest, deepening the inequality from the lack of development and making the health crisis even worse.” 

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said. “We know that jobs and businesses in each of our countries depend on the health and stability of economies elsewhere.”

http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/05/covid-19-un-urges-world-leaders-to-act-now-to-avert-unimaginable-devastation/