United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to take collective action to tackle the economic consequences of the emerging Corona virus, warning of catastrophic consequences if this was not done.
Guterres stressed, in a speech delivered today during a financing event for development during the pandemic period and beyond, that the spread of the virus known as "Covid-19" would cause "devastation and unspeakable suffering" all over the world, including a "historical famine". In the event that the countries of the world fail to take the necessary measures now.
Guterres said that an additional 60 million people will face extreme poverty in this case, while up to 50% of employment worldwide (about 1.6 billion people) will lose funding.
According to the United Nations' assessments, if the necessary measures are not taken, the world economy may witness a decline of approximately $ 8.5 billion during the next two years, which could push 34.3 million people into extreme poverty until the end of this year, and this number may increase by 130 million during the years The next ten.
The Secretary-General stressed the need to avoid this scenario and take collective steps in six axes of utmost importance, in order to activate the funding required to fight the pandemic and its consequences therein.
Among those axes are increasing liquidity in the global economy, reducing debt risks, countering illicit financial flows, intensifying external financing to achieve inclusive growth and creating jobs, and developing a strategy to help countries overcome the consequences of the pandemic and achieve sustainable development goals, in addition to facing climate change and restoring a balance between Nature and economics.