Amid worsening Afghan crisis, UN chief calls for cooperation with CSTO
Amid humanitarian crisis worsening by the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday (local time) called for more cooperation between the world body and the CSTO on Afghanistan.
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 21: The UN chief on Wednesday urged global policymakers to unlock better financing and tackle the great finance divide, as progress on some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has gone into reverse for the first time in decades.
"There is a stark
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for global solidarity to stop infectious diseases.
In his video message for the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, which falls on Dec. 27, the UN chief said that building global solidarity would "give every country a fighting chance to stop infectious diseases in their tracks."
COVID-19 continues to demonstrate how quickly "an infectious disease can sweep across the world," pushing health systems to the brink and upending daily life for all of humanity, the UN chief said.
"It also revealed our failure to learn the lessons of recent health emergencies like SARS, avian influenza, Zika, Ebola and others," said the secretary-general.
"And it reminded us that the world remains woefully unprepared to stop localized outbreaks from spilling across borders, and spiraling into a global pandemic," he said.
Noting that infectious diseases remain "a clear and present danger to every country," Guterres maintained that COVID-19 would not be the last pandemic for humanity.
Even as the world responds to this health crisis, he spelled out the need to prepare for the next one.
"This means scaling-up investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in every country - especially the most vulnerable," he said.
"It means strengthening primary health care at the local level to prevent collapse... ensuring equitable access to lifesaving interventions, like vaccines for all people and ... achieving universal health coverage."
The first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked on Dec. 27, 2020, was called for by the UN General Assembly to advocate the importance of the prevention of, preparedness for and partnership against epidemics.
The UN chief "emphasizes that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in investigating and promptly holding accountable the perpetrators of this unacceptable attack."
UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned the attack by members of the presidential guard of the Central African Republic (CAR) which wounded 10 peacekeepers.
Through a statement attributable to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief "emphasizes that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in investigating and promptly holding accountable the perpetrators of this unacceptable attack."
"The secretary-general wishes a speedy and full recovery to the wounded peacekeepers and civilians, and reiterates his gratitude to the people and the Government of Egypt for their contribution to peace and stability in the Central African Republic. The secretary-general also expresses his deep condolences to the bereaved family of the Central African civilian who was killed during the incident," it said.
"The secretary-general reaffirms the solidarity and continued support of the United Nations to the Central African Republic," it added.
The presidential guard shot at peacekeepers of the mission, known as MINUSCA, in Bangui on Monday. The police officers from Egypt landed at Bangui's airport earlier in the day. They are part of the periodic rotation and deployment of troops in the country.
The United Nations chief is calling for an immediate end to violence in Afghanistan and urging the international community to unite to ensure that the human rights of all people,
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