At the 75th special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the COVID-19 pandemic on the same day, Tedros Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said in a video speech that the pandemic showed the best and worst of mankind to cope with it. The United Nations and other countries in the world should unite and cooperate to deal with the pandemic.
Tedros said that the pandemic shows the best and worst of mankind’s response ability. People have seen the spirit of technological development and solidarity, as well as the moments of selfishness, passing on responsibility and division.
He said that although the COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health crisis, not all countries have been equally affected, and many countries have successfully controlled the spread of the virus.
WHO Director-General Tedros: These countries have proved that through scientific solidarity and dedication, the virus can be subdued and prevented. But in some places science is submerged by conspiracy theories, unity is broken by division, sacrifice is replaced by selfishness, where the virus survives and spreads.
Tedros: Unite, there is no vaccine for poverty and other issues.
Tedros Tedros proposed key areas where the United Nations and countries need to unite and collaborate. First, invest in vaccines, which he stressed that vaccines must be supplied to all people, including the poor, as a global public good; secondly, actively invest in preventing the next possible pandemic; thirdly, to use investment in health as a basis for peace and prosperity; and finally, countries need to support multilateralism.
Ensure a common future. Tedros Tedros called on all countries to work together to deal with the problems faced by all countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Tedros: Vaccines will help end the pandemic, but they will not solve the weaknesses that exist at the root causes. There is no vaccine to eradicate poverty, there is no vaccine to treat hunger, there is no vaccine to address inequality, and there is no vaccine to address climate change. Once the pandemic is over, we will find that compared with the pandemic.
There are more problems to solve before the relationship begins. Together, we show that in a global pandemic, the world can come together in a new way to solve problems and unite. We must bring such urgency and innovation to all the challenges we face.
