At a video summit ... G20 leaders pledge a united front against Coruna

The leaders of the Group of Twenty countries affirmed - at the end of an emergency summit via video - their commitment to face the repercussions of the emerging Corona virus on a united front, pledging to pump $ 5 trillion into the global economy.

In the closing statement of the summit chaired by Saudi Arabia, the leaders of the world's largest economies agreed to work to secure the funds necessary for research to develop a vaccine against the Corona virus, and to provide strong support to developing countries to limit its spread.

The leaders also expressed their commitment to bridge the deficit in the WHO budget to tackle the virus, and expand its powers in this regard.

The leaders asked the International Labor Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to monitor the impact of the Corona epidemic on employment, confirming that they continue to address the risks of low debt in low-income countries due to the outbreak of the virus.

US Presidents Donald Trump and Russian Vladimir Putin participated in the virtual summit that took place at a time when the epidemic forced more than three billion people to stay home.

The talks focused on how to protect the world's most important economies from the consequences of measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus, at a time when looming on the horizon of an economic recession in light of the suspension of flights, the closure of shopping centers and the curfew.

The King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, said that the humanitarian crisis due to the outbreak of the Corona virus requires a global response to confront it.

Salman confirmed his full support to the World Health Organization in coordinating efforts to combat the pandemic. He also called for strengthening the global preparedness framework to combat infectious diseases that may spread in the future.

Expectations and demands
The Moody's credit rating agency expected on Wednesday that the gross domestic product in the twenty countries will shrink by 0.5%, that the US economy shrinks by 2%, and the European economy by 2.2%.

The major countries, including the United States, presented huge financial incentives, without putting together a joint plan of action, at a time of heightened fears in poor countries that lack the money and proper health care.

The International Monetary Fund called on the leaders of the twenty countries to support its demand to freeze the debt of poor countries, while the World Health Organization urged the countries of the Group of Twenty to provide support to "low and middle income countries."

In their statement, the G20 leaders affirmed, "We will work swiftly and decisively with international organizations to allocate a strong, coherent, coordinated and urgent financial package."

"We call on all these organizations to intensify coordination of actions among themselves, including with the private sector, to support emerging and developing countries facing health, economic and social shocks from the Corona Covid-19 virus," the statement added.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International called on the leaders of the Group of 20 nations to harness the potential of their countries to protect those affected by the spread of the Coronavirus.

The organization said - in a statement - that the response to this epidemic must be based on cooperation and sharing resources because national strategies will not be sufficient on their own.

The organization added that any action taken by the Group of 20 should ensure that everyone has access to preventive care and quality and affordable treatment, including those most at risk.

The director of the organization's Research and Defense of Rights also warned that the lack of health care in any part of the world is a danger to everyone, and stressed to help the most marginalized.

The Group of Twenty was established in 1999 with the aim of activating cooperation to confront global crises, and its countries comprise two thirds of the world's population, representing 90% of global GDP.

The group includes: the United States, Turkey, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Australia and the European Union.