With the COVID-19 pandemic precipitating one of the world’s worst health, socioeconomic and humanitarian crises in over a century, the UN chief told a high-level discussion to seize the opportunity “to make real, foundational, and necessary change”. “We need global solidarity and coordination”, Secretary-General António Guterres said at the event headlined, ‘Rebirthing the Global Economy to Deliver Sustainable Development for All’.

Speaking in New York on the eve of the G20 summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told reporters that the world must ensure recovery from the crisis will be inclusive, sustainable and in line with global climate goals. When he addresses leaders of the world’s richest countries at the virtual meeting, the UN chief will deliver a simple message on the COVID-19 pandemic: “We need solidarity and cooperation. And we need concrete action now — especially for the most vulnerable.”  

“Hunger is an outrage in a world of plenty”, the UN chief told the governing body of the Organization’s food agency, highlighting the important role of food security in cementing peace. “An empty stomach is a gaping hole in the heart of a society. A stunted child's growth in the mind is progress for her and for everyone”, Secretary-General António Guterres  attested to the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP). 

The fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “go hand in hand”, the UN chief told a major development bank conference. “The decisions we make now will determine the course of the next 30 years and beyond: Emissions must fall by half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050 to reach the 1.5C goal”, Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message to the virtual Finance in Common Summit.

Secretary General António Guterres reiterated his call for a global ceasefire, underscoring that the COVID-19 pandemic is “the greatest test” the international community has faced since the Second World War. “I appealed for an immediate global ceasefire so that we could focus on our common enemy: the COVID-19 virus”, he said.