UN Security Council many meet soon to discuss COVID-19, says Secy Gen Antonio Guterres

With the world under the grip of COVID-19, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres indicated that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) may meet soon to discuss the pandemic, which has infected more than 1.2 million worldwide and killed close to 70,000.

Responding to media questions after a briefing at the UN headquarters here Guterres said, "I've just received an invitation from the Presidency of the Security Council at the request of a number of Member States to brief the Council, which I will do, I believe, next week."

Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, the 15-member Security Council has not met even once or come up with an united response or resolution to the pandemic, mostly due to a stand-off between the United States and China over the origin of the pandemic.

Dominican Republic has taken over the presidency of the UNSC from April 1 from China which held the chair till March 31.

Meanwhile, during the briefing, Guterres said that his appeal 10 days ago for an "immediate ceasefire in all corners of the globe" has resonated across the world with so far 70 partners, including warring partners from 11 countries, expressing their acceptance to the call.

He, however, warned there were "enormous difficulties to implementation as conflicts have festered for years, distrust is deep, with many spoilers and many suspicions."

"And in many of the most critical situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting -- and some conflicts have even intensified," Guterres said.

The Secretary-General gave examples of places like Libya and Syria.

In Afghanistan, where fighting has increased, Guterres said the time has come for the government and the Taliban, who are working on a prisoner exchange, to cease hostilities "as COVID-19 looms over the country."

"In Syria, where the first COVID-related deaths have now been reported, my Special Envoy appealed for a "complete and immediate" nationwide ceasefire in the country to allow for an all-out-effort against COVID-19," he said.

"My objective now is to stop the war; it is not to make a judgment, it is to stop the war. Obviously, it is clear, when I arrived in Libya, that there was an attack by Marshal Haftar's forces to Tripoli, and that was the beginning of the conflict that we have witnessed since then.

But my objective now is to make sure that the ceasefire, whose technical aspects were agreed by the representatives of both sides but not signed, that that ceasefire is implemented. We must stop this war."

Stating that the virus has shown how swiftly it can move across borders, devastate countries and upend lives, the UN Secretary-General said "The worst is yet to come." He thus urged for" need to do everything possible to find the peace and unity our world so desperately needs to battle COVID-19.