United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for immediate attention to three global emergencies after listing a long string of threats and challenges the world is facing.
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The first global emergency that needs immediate attention is the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. So far, over 70 million doses have been administered, but less than 20,000 of these were on the African continent.
"A global immunity gap puts everyone at risk… Vaccine nationalism is an economic as well as a moral failure," Guterres said. "While every country has the right - and the duty - to protect its own people, no country can afford to neglect the rest of the world."
"We must close the funding gap; ramp-up vaccine production by making licenses widely available and sharing technology, and get doses into the arms of all who need them - starting with health workers and those most at risk around the world," he said.
The second area for urgent action is financial support for all countries that need it. "In today's world, self-interest cannot be separated from solidarity. The global economy is made up of an intricate web of transactions between developed and developing countries," he said.
"While the pandemic continues to disrupt supply chains, developed (economies) will not make a full recovery," added the UN chief.
For fast and full recovery, the developed world should support developing economies by ensuring continued liquidity, including through the issuance of Special Drawing Rights, and expanding debt relief to all countries in need of it.
Guterres said the third global emergency is the climate crisis, explaining that the recovery from the pandemic must embrace renewable energy and green and resilient infrastructure.
"We have an opportunity to end our senseless war on nature and start the healing process," the UN Secretary said.
"Governments are finally starting to listen to scientists, businesses, cities, academia and in particular, the young people who have been global leaders on this issue… we need to build on that momentum."