People should unite to give coordinated response to COVID-19: Dalai Lama

As the world grapples with coronavirus, the Dalai Lama on Sunday said people should come together to give a "coordinated, global response" to challenges posed by the crisis.

The Tibetan spiritual leader also noted that the economic disruption caused by the spread of the virus is posing a major challenge to governments and is undermining the ability of people to make a living.

"This crisis and its consequences serve as a warning that only by coming together in a coordinated, global response, will we meet the unprecedented magnitude of the challenges we face. I pray we all heed 'The Call to Unite', he said in a statement released by his office here.

The Tibetan government-in-exile is based here.

In this time of crisis, we face threats to our health and sadness for the family and friends we have lost. Economic disruption is posing a major challenge to governments and undermining the ability of so many people to make a living," he said.

The 14th Dalai Lama said people must