December 18th United Nations Secretary-General Guterres addressed the German Bundestag, praising Germany’s important contribution to world peace and calling on the international community to work together to achieve climate protection goals and help poor countries fight the epidemic.
Guterres pointed out that the coronavirus epidemic has exacerbated poverty and famine, and the lack of international cooperation has made the development backward countries even worse.
He called on countries to put aside their differences and work together to fight the epidemic, especially to ensure the accessibility and affordability of the coronavirus vaccine in developing countries: “On today’s occasion, I will tell my inner feelings in German.
At present, it is crucial to ensure that the vaccine is a global public good. It is necessary to ensure equitable access to a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for everyone and everywhere.”
German Chancellor Merkel also said after concluding her meeting with Guterres on the 18th that if we want to truly defeat the epidemic, we must promote global equity in the reach of vaccines.
At the same time, the response to the epidemic is particularly inseparable from the close cooperation of various countries: “The epidemic is organic in danger, providing us with the possibility to further achieve structural optimization.
In this collaborative fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we also have a deeper understanding of the central role that the World Health Organization plays.”
Turning to the topic of climate protection, Merkel reiterated Germany’s push for the new emission reduction target set by the European Commission during the EU presidency, which is to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990, compared with the previous emission reduction target of 40%.
She promised that Germany would continue to promote sustainable investment and increase its spending in international climate protection actions.
