The world faces an unprecedented test. And the moment of truth has arrived.

Hundreds of thousands of people are falling seriously ill from coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which is spreading exponentially in many places.

Societies are in crisis and economies are in a tailspin.

The International Monetary Fund has reevaluated the growth prospects for 2020 and 2021 and has declared that we have entered a recession, as severe or worse than in 2009.

We must respond resolutely, innovatively and jointly to suppress the spread of the virus and address the socio-economic devastation that COVID-19 is causing in all regions.

The response should be large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive, corresponding to the magnitude of the crisis, and guided nationally and internationally by the World Health Organization.

It must also be multilateral, so that countries show solidarity with the most vulnerable communities and nations.

The message of the report we are publishing today is clear: shared responsibility and global solidarity in response to the effects of COVID 19.

It is a call to action.We must see countries not only united to defeat the virus, but also to face its profound consequences.

First, an immediate coordinated health response to suppress transmission and end the pandemic.

A response that expands sanitary capacity to test, trace cases, quarantine and offer treatment, while continuing to protect the safety of initial response teams, and accompanied by measures to restrict movement and contact.

To a response that provides universal access to treatments and vaccines, once they’re ready.

It is essential that developed countries immediately help the least developed countries to strengthen their health systems and their response capacity to stop transmission.

Otherwise, we are faced with the nightmare of the disease spreading like a forest fire in the Global South in which millions of people die and the prospect of the disease reappearing where it was previously suppressed.

Remember that we are only as strong as the weakest healthcare system in our interconnected world.

I am particularly concerned about the African continent, and I strongly encourage the Group of 20 (G20) to move forward with a G20 initiative for Africa that was proposed at the Summit.

Second, we must address the devastating social and economic dimensions of this crisis, focusing on the most affected: women, the elderly, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium-sized enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups, especially those in humanitarian and conflict situations.

We must see countries not only united to defeat the virus, but also to face its profound consequences.

This means designing fiscal and monetary policies capable of supporting the direct provision of resources to support workers and households, the provision of health and unemployment insurance, increased social protection and support to companies to avoid bankruptcies. and massive job losses.

What is needed is a large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response that amounts to at least 10% of the world’s gross domestic product.

Developed countries can do it on their own, and some are already doing it.

But we must massively increase the resources available to the developing world by expanding the capacity of the International Monetary Fund, in particular by issuing special drawing rights, and by other international financial institutions to rapidly inject resources into countries that they need.

Coordinated exchanges between central banks can also bring liquidity to emerging economies.

Relief of the debt burden should be a priority, including immediate renunciation of interest payments by 2020.

The United Nations system has been fully mobilized, providing guidance for global efforts, supporting country responses and making our supply chains available to the world.  

To support our efforts, the United Nations is establishing a new Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Response and Recovery related to COVID-19, to help low and middle income countries respond to the emergency and recover from socioeconomic shock.

United Nations Resident Coordinators around the world will be the drivers of the United Nations response on the ground, ensuring that the vast and diverse knowledge and assets of the United Nations system are used in the most efficient and effective way to support countries.

Finally, when we overcome this crisis, because we will overcome it, we will face a dilemma.

We can return to the world as it was before or resolutely address the issues that make us all unnecessarily vulnerable to crises.

Our roadmap is the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis should lead us to a different economy.

Everything we do during and after this crisis should focus on building more equitable, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient to pandemics, climate change and the many other global challenges we face.

What the world needs now is solidarity.

In solidarity we can defeat the virus and build a better world.

Thank you very much.