The United Nations declared that the global pandemic is the worst crisis since World War II. The warning came after US President Donald Trump warned citizens to brace for a 'very painful few weeks'.
According to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "he combination of the two facts and the risk that it contributes to enhanced instability, enhanced unrest, and enhanced conflict are things that make us believe that this is the most challenging crisis we have faced since the Second World War," reported The Independent.
Guterres added that countries must establish and stronger and effective response by appealing solidarity from its citizens. He also suggested that politics should not be the focus of governments during this trying time but to understand that human life is at stake.
Last Wednesday, John Hopkins University data showed that the number of deaths caused by the pandemic rose to 4,000, twice the 2,010 records since last Saturday. The global results of the pandemic are now at 858,000 cases and 42,000 deaths.
Guterres also warned that the UN is far from having a global package that would help stop the spread of the pandemic. He also cited that creating conditions both to suppress the disease and to address the dramatic economic consequences of the crisis is challenging and unattained at this time. He shared that massive unemployment rates worldwide would cause the collapse of small firms and render a significant number of individuals vulnerable to partaking in an informal economy.
He also discussed that the UN is slowly moving in the right direction. However, he hinted that there is a need to speed the efforts if these measures seek to defeat the virus as soon as possible.
Last Tuesday, the UN created a new fund as financial aid to developing countries that have been seeking donations for its poor. The coverage also includes conflict-hit nations. Guterres revealed during the launch of a new UN report entitled Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity: Responding to the Socio-Economic Impacts of COVID-19 that it is more than a global health crisis. He then called for maximum financial and technical support for the poorest and most vulnerable countries of the world.
Apart from extending financial aid from flourishing countries, the UN also developed innovative financial instruments to help these donating nations efficiently respond to the crisis. Guterres also warned that the pandemic could swiftly return to poorer countries such as Africa and that millions of people could die.
