UN Call for Global Solidarity with Africa in Fight against COVID-19

Addis Ababa, May 20/2020(ENA) The United Nations has called for global solidarity with Africa to back the continent’s effort in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. 

In his statement on the impact of Covid-19 on Africa, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Africa has responded swiftly to the pandemic, and as of now reported cases are lower than feared.

Though Africa has responded swiftly to the spread of Coronavirus, the pandemic threatens the continent’s progress, the statement underscored.

Guterres pointed out that the pandemic will aggravate long-standing inequalities and heighten hunger, malnutrition and vulnerability to diseases in the continent.

According to  him, Africans have done much in recent years to advance the well-being of the continent's people. “Economic growth has been strong. The digital revolution has taken hold. A free trade area has been agreed.”

But now “demand for Africa’s commodities, tourism and remittances are already declining. The opening of the trade zone has been pushed back and millions could be pushed into extreme poverty,” he added.

Guterres said, “I commend what African countries have done already, together with the African Union. Most have moved rapidly to deepen regional coordination, deploy health workers, and enforce quarantines, lockdowns and border closures.”

Expressing his total solidarity with the people and governments of Africa in tackling COVID-19, the secretary-general noted that United Nations agencies, country teams, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian workers are providing support.

Guterres called for international action to strengthen Africa’s health systems, maintain food supplies, avoid financial crisis, support education, protect jobs, keep households and businesses afloat, and cushion the continent against lost income and export earnings.

“I have been calling for a global response package amounting to at least 10 per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product,” he recalled, adding that “for Africa that means more than 200 million billion as additional support from the international community.”

UN will continue to advocate a comprehensive debt framework starting with an across-the-board debt standstill for countries unable to service their debt, followed by targeted debt relief and a comprehensive approach to structural issues in the international debt architecture to prevent defaults.

Ending the pandemic in Africa is essential for ending it across the world, he stressed.

Coronavirus has so far taken more than 2,500 African lives, vigilance and preparedness are critical since these are still early days for the pandemic in the continent, and disruption could escalate quickly.