United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his responsibility in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic

That crisis can only be solved with a common strategy at the global level based on the solidarity of all countries. International solidarity - that is also the biggest challenge that Antonio Guterres has faced since taking the position of head of the world's largest multilateral organization.

The most serious crisis since World War II

When Wuhan, China became the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak, the world anxiously watched the statistics increase every day, every hour in this country. The number of tens of thousands of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in China at that time was seen as something truly “horrible”, the worst thing that an epidemic could cause to a country in recent years.

Many countries have surpassed China in the number of infected people, and more seriously, in the number of deaths. In the photo: Times Square, downtown New York City, deserted due to Covid-19 (March 30, 2020). Photo: Reuters

Few people expected that just 2 months later, what happened in China would be repeated in many other countries, even at a more serious level. A series of countries have far surpassed China in the number of infected people, and more seriously, in the number of deaths. The US, Spain, and Italy have surpassed China in all indicators, while France and Germany are "nearby" catching up with China. All over the world, the chart showing the number of infected people and deaths from Covid-19 continues to trend upward, and the important thing is that no one can confirm when that chart will peak, and no government can confidently predict when their country will control the epidemic.

“We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Just look at the activities of world leaders these days to see that. All domestic and foreign activities now revolve around the word "Covid-19", and every time a leader appears, the speech is definitely about Covid-19. There are no bombs falling, no guns firing, but the phrase mentioned by many leaders from the US, France, Italy... is "war" - an unprecedented war that has forced nearly 4 billion people around the world to stay at home to implement social isolation orders, and trade activities between countries are almost "frozen".

According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Covid-19 is not only a global health crisis but also risks causing an economic crisis no less than the 2008 crisis, creating a "double crisis" that the world has not experienced in recent years.

Mr. Antonio Guterres cited the International Labor Organization's forecast that in 2020, the world will lose between 5 million and 25 million jobs due to Covid-19, leading to a loss of income of between 860 million and 3,400 billion USD. Global foreign direct investment flows are also expected to decrease by up to 40% this year. The Covid-19 pandemic, along with its global economic impact, could increase instability, conflicts between countries and break down social structures.

Of course, after initially taking the Covid-19 pandemic lightly, countries are now "accelerating" in applying drastic measures to prevent the spread of the virus known as the "invisible enemy". But what worries Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is that each country is dealing with the pandemic in its own way, and some countries are even not respecting the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, Mr. Antonio Guterres believes that, with an unprecedented crisis, the world needs to have a different response, to "forget political games", and to stand together in the same trench to fight the common enemy.

Covid-19 is forcing nearly 4 billion people worldwide to stay at home. Photo: Examiner

The power of unity

As the global public continues to panic over the uncertain outlook for the pandemic, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that national responses are not enough to tackle a complex crisis like Covid-19. Only unity, hope and political will can get the world through this difficult time, and of course, the world will need a “conductor” to rally that unity.

Since taking office as UN Secretary-General, many have warned that Antonio Guterres' biggest challenge will be to bring countries together to solve pressing world problems, amid a deepening rift between Russia and the West that has raised concerns about the "ghost of the Cold War".

But in the first half of his tenure, Antonio Guterres has shown himself to be an excellent mediator, building trust with leaders of many countries, being called “the person most present on the front lines of armed conflicts and humanitarian crises”. The most important agreements that clearly demonstrate his role as a bridge between countries are dealing with the flow of refugees from conflict-torn countries, especially Syria - agreements that are very meaningful in the context of rising populism in many countries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on the world to unite against the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Euronews

Putting aside divisions and disagreements to join hands to solve the world's urgent problems, that is also the spirit in which Mr. Antonio Guterres called on countries to face the crisis called Covid-19. In that common fight, there will be no distinction between East and West, no distinction between rich and poor countries, no distinction between political systems, only a single common goal: to protect the health and lives of people around the world, ensuring the maintenance of life for the most vulnerable. Mr. Guterres called on the G20 countries to hold an emergency summit next week to share responsibility and global solidarity.

In the immediate future, Mr. Guterres raised a number of issues for countries to coordinate their actions in the fight against Covid-19. The first is to improve weak health systems, in which developed countries need to support less developed countries to strengthen their health systems and increase their ability to respond to prevent the spread of the disease.

The second is to focus on the most vulnerable by implementing support policies for low-income people and those who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, providing health insurance, unemployment insurance and social assistance, and supporting businesses from bankruptcy. Mr. Antonio Guterres also announced the establishment of a Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund to support low- and middle-income countries, adding resources for their governments to implement measures to control the pandemic.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the G20 Online Summit on Covid-19 on March 26. Photo: LQH

Although Covid-19 is still attacking people's health and the economies of more than 200 countries and territories, if we unite and overcome this "unprecedented test", a new direction will be opened to help the world face many other crises in the future.