S/2020/953 Security Council

I have the honour to enclose herewith a copy of the briefing provided by His Excellency the Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres; as well as the statements delivered by Their Excellencies Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, President of the Niger; Mrs. Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia; Mr. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa; Mr. Kaïs Saïed, President of Tunisia; Mr. Wang Yi, Special Representative of President Xi Jinping, State Councillor and Minister for Foreign Affairs of China; Sir Louis Straker, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Regional Integration of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam; Mr. Philippe Goffin, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium; Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; Mr. Niels Annen, Minister of State in the Federal Foreign Office of Germany; Mr. Mahendra Siregar, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia; Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and by the representatives of the Dominican Republic and the United States of America, in connection with the video-teleconference on “Maintenance of international peace and security: global governance after COVID-19”, convened on Thursday, 24 September 2020. In accordance with the procedure set out in the letter dated 7 May 2020 from the President of the Security Council addressed to the Permanent Representatives of the members of the Security Council (S/2020/372), which was agreed in the light of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus disease pandemic, the briefing and statements will be issued as an official document of the Security Council.

I thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity to address the subject of global governance as it relates to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. A microscopic virus is now the number one threat in our world. The COVID-19 pandemic is a full-blown crisis in itself, unfolding against a backdrop of high geopolitical tensions and other global threats in unpredictable and dangerous ways. The pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation — a test that we have failed. It has killed nearly 1 million people around the world, infected more than 30 million and is out of control. That was the result of a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity. The seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations reminds us of the achievements of our founders and calls on us to live up to their ambitions. We urgently need innovative thinking on global governance and multilateralism so that they are fit for the twenty-first century. First and foremost, we need a networked multilateralism based on strong links and cooperation between global and regional organizations, international financial institutions and other global alliances and institutions. Since I became Secretary-General, I have prioritized our strategic partnership with the African Union. Our relations are characterized by shared values, mutual respect and common interests. The partnership between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations is a model that we should emulate in our relationships with other regional organizations. We now have a strong AU-United Nations framework on peace and security on the continent. I urge the Security Council to deepen our engagement by creating strong, formalized links and regular communications with the AU Peace and Security Council. That would enable the most effective division of labour, allowing for AU peace enforcement and counter-terrorism operations, backed by Security Council mandates, with predictable funding guaranteed by assessed contributions. That is the only way in which we will build the coalition that we need to beat terrorism on the African continent and fulfil the African Union’s flagship initiative to silence the guns. We at the United Nations also have a responsibility to improve the effectiveness of global governance. Our focus on prevention, our efforts to enhance the peace and security architecture, the Action for Peacekeeping initiative in partnership with Member States and our drive to end sexual exploitation and abuse across the United Nations system are all aimed at meeting that challenge. I welcome resolution 2532 (2020), adopted in July, in support of my appeal for an immediate global ceasefire. We now need a united effort, led by the Council, to silence the guns around the world by the end of this year. The primary responsibility for making global governance work lies with Member States, including those on the Council. Reform of global governance cannot be a substitute for collective action by Member States to confront common challenges. Conflict, human rights abuses, humanitarian crisis and stalled progress on development reinforce each other and are interlinked. But our global response is more and more fragmented. We are not keeping pace with the world as it is. The institutions of global governance should work together in coordination to contain, mitigate and reduce risks of all kinds. Networked S/2020/953 multilateralism must extend beyond peace and security, encompassing the Bretton Woods institutions, development banks, trade alliances and more. The pandemic is heightening risks across the board. Humanitarian needs are growing, decades of progress on sustainable development are at stake and social unrest is increasing. Many of the countries in the global South have been left hanging, without financial and practical resources. Some middle-income countries face a crushing debt burden as they try to respond. From the start, I have advocated for a comprehensive global response package and for coordinated action on debt through the mobilization of all partners. We need the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support member countries through enhanced access to facilities and tools, and we need greater resources for the IMF and enhanced support for the World Bank Group and other financial institutions and bilateral mechanisms. In May, together with the Prime Ministers of Canada and Jamaica, I brought Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organizations, representatives from the private sector and civil society together to launch an initiative on financing for development. That initiative focuses on areas that are critical to survival and to building a strong recovery, including global liquidity, financial stability and debt vulnerability, and I look forward to its conclusions next week. But we cannot continue with such ad hoc solutions to systemic, foreseeable global risks. The pandemic is a wake-up call for even more catastrophic challenges that may arise, starting with the climate crisis. If we meet those challenges with the same disunity and disarray that we have seen this year, I fear the worst. We need global governance that is resolute, coordinated, flexible and ready to react to the full range of challenges that we face. In a world of interconnected threats, solidarity is self-interest. Many of the cross-border challenges that we face today, from the climate crisis to rising inequality and cybercrime, involve interest groups, businesses, organizations and entire sectors that are outside traditional concepts of global governance. Such challenges cannot be addressed effectively by States alone. We need to broaden our idea of global governance to take in businesses, civil society, cities and regions, academia and young people. International conventions are not the only way to reach binding agreements for the common good. We need flexible mechanisms in which different stakeholders come together, adopt protocols and codes of conduct, define red lines and create conditions for successful cooperation. Global governance must also recognize our responsibilities to our planet and to future generations. Civil society movements, particularly those led by young people, are global leaders on these issues. Let us face it: global governance mechanisms until now have been exclusive, and the largest group left out in the cold is women — half of humankind. Women watching this week’s general debate have a perfect right to feel that they are not represented and that their voices are not valued. The COVID-19 pandemic has proved what is obvious — women’s leadership is highly effective. We cannot hope to turn the climate crisis around, reduce social divisions or make sustained peace without the full contributions of all of society. Reformed global governance is about approaches and institutions, which must be reformed and strengthened. We need more, and better, multilateralism that works effectively and delivers for the people we serve. We need more, and better, global governance, based on national sovereignty and expressed through our shared S/2020/953 ideals, eloquently expressed in the Charter of the United Nations. The pandemic has illustrated beyond dispute the gaps in our multilateral system. As countries go in different directions, the virus goes in every direction. A rational and equitable approach to vaccination would reduce preventable deaths by prioritizing front-line workers and the most vulnerable. But we have struggled to mobilize the resources needed to ensure that a vaccine is a global public good, available and affordable to all. We urgently need multilateral institutions that can act decisively, based on global consent, for the global good. We need multilateral institutions that are fair, with better representation of the developing world, so that all have a proportional voice at the global table. The General Assembly Declaration on the Commemoration of the Seventy- fifth Anniversary of the United Nations has created space for a process of reflection on the future of multilateral cooperation and the post-COVID-19 world. I will report back with analysis and recommendations, guided by a common thread of solidarity within and between societies at the national and international levels and with future generations. Our world is no longer bipolar or unipolar; it is moving towards multipolarity. We experienced polarization and fragmentation without effective mechanisms of multilateral governance 100 years ago. The result was the First World War. COVID-19 is casting a dark shadow across the world, but it is also a warning that must spur us to action. We have no choice. Either we come together in global institutions that are fit for purpose, or we will be crushed by divisiveness and chaos.

I would like to warmly thank all present for their constructive participation in this high-level meeting. As President of the Security Council, I am honoured to have this opportunity to discuss what post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global governance should look like. It is said that only a crisis that is, or is perceived to be, a crisis produces real change. We missed the opportunity for real change during the financial crisis of 2008. Are we going to miss the opportunity provided to us by COVID-19 to rebuild global governance? What are the challenges of our time and what governance is needed to respond to those challenges? The first challenge that I want to address is global political governance. In that regard, at the seventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, I already reaffirmed the need to support the Secretary-General in his efforts to reform our Organization with a view to establishing a more democratic multilateral system (see A/74/PV.4). What was valid 75 years ago is no longer valid today. The functioning of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council must reflect to the current world situation. With regard to particularly the Security Council, where we are proud to sit, all regions of the world, including Africa, must be fairly represented. The number of permanent seats must be increased and the right of veto must be abolished or expanded to the new permanent members in order to establish democracy and equality. Moreover, Africa has a common position on this issue, which is expressed through the Ezulwini Consensus. As for the General Assembly, the ongoing demand of Member States is that of a rebalancing of power between it and the Security Council. The second challenge concerns the issues of peace and security. In view of the perceived shortcomings of the concept of peacekeeping, there is an urgent need to return to the concept of collective security and give more weight to United Nations peacekeeping operations under Chapter VII of the Charter of the Organization. As the nature of conflicts changes, the mandates of United Nations forces must also adapt. The greatest current threat to global peace and security comes from non-State criminal groups. The demand for a return to the concept of collective peace cannot be met with a right of veto, as no State should have the right to block the decisions of the international community in the face of a common threat on the basis of its own interests or friendships. Moreover, the risk of a confrontation between States, particularly between major Powers, is not zero. The possibility that one or other of those Powers may fall into the Thucydides Trap cannot be ruled out. The international community must work to prevent such an outcome, including through the denuclearization of our planet. The third challenge concerns the deepening of inequalities — inequalities among and within countries. “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping the old ones”, said a leading economist. That is why the world always reforms after shocks. The current model dates from the aftermath of the two oil shocks of 1973 and 1979. Its complete supremacy has even made people believe in "the end of the history". But it has produced inequalities such that the world is, in that respect, in the same position as it was at the end of the nineteenth century. The gap between the richest and the poorest is widening and the middle class, one of the foundations of modern democracy, is weakening. The gap between the richest and the S/2020/953 poorest is greater today than it was in ancient Rome, where the economy was based on slavery. All specialists agree that this trend will increase in the current context of low economic growth and high returns on capital. Such escalating inequality is the greatest threat facing the global economy. I recall article 1 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.” These inequalities are not always justified by merit, so they are not based on common good. They are incompatible with the principles of social justice that are the foundation of democratic societies. Experience shows that the invisible hand of the market cannot correct them. Reducing inequality requires not only massive investment in education and training, but also the design and implementation of expansionary economic policies and the introduction of a tax on financial transactions, or even a progressive global tax on capital, which would also put an end to the tax competition that States are engaged in today. The fight against inequality requires an in-depth reform of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. The fourth challenge concerns the fight against poverty. The time has come to build a world free of poverty. “A world free of poverty” is the motto of the World Bank. Furthermore, let me recall article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” To guarantee this right, a total war must be declared on poverty. We produce enough wealth in the world to eradicate it. We can defeat the two horsemen of the apocalypse — hunger and disease. Nothing must stop us in this fight, because poverty destroys freedom and dignity. It is a breeding ground for terrorism and organized crime. That is why there must be an unbiased discussion of universal basic income for all individuals. Experiences have shown that this does not encourage laziness and idleness. We have evidence of this in the Niger with the unconditional money transfers that we provide for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The fight against poverty, in particular unemployment, requires a better sharing of working time. It also requires reform of global financial and economic institutions. It also demands that we put an end to this globalization that accepts the free circulation of capital, goods and services but refuses the free circulation of people. In fact, only 3 per cent of the world’s people lives outside their country of origin. The fifth challenge relates to climate change. Since the beginning of the industrial era, we have had development models that attack nature. Nature is taking revenge on us through extreme weather events. The many hurricanes and storms, floods, droughts, melting glaciers, rising sea and ocean levels, coastal erosion, the appearance of new diseases, damage to biodiversity and so forth are clear signs of this. Moreover, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has regularly drawn attention to global warming. Our production model is generating ecological damage, with serious consequences for the planet. The World Wildlife Fund for Nature estimates that more than 50 per cent of vertebrates have disappeared in the past 40 years. The global population of wild animals has decreased by more than S/2020/953 68 per cent. The new post-COVID paradigm must take this into account and call for the full and urgent implementation of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Therefore, it is clear that the instruments put in place in the aftermath of the Second World War are no longer sufficient to address the challenges of poverty, social inequality, climate change, terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime, the peaceful coexistence of peace and global security. The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly marks the end of an era. It underscores the urgent need to rethink our collective security system. It has shown the reality of our humankind and of all the countries of the world, which have all been equal in the face of suffering, be they big or small, rich or poor, weak or powerful. It is up to all of us to work together to draw the necessary lessons and reflect on the essential reforms of global governance. We must create a post-COVID-19 world of peace, solidarity and prosperity for all, a world of solidarity, dignity, equality, justice and freedom.

It is great to be with the Security Council and discuss the post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) governance in our global world. First of all, I would like to reiterate Estonia’s support for Secretary-General Guterres’s call for a global ceasefire and call on everybody to support it by the end of the year. COVID-19 has changed our world and, true to Estonian colours, I would like to point out that technological development is the area that helps us to maintain the coherence of our world and to continue to cooperate with each other. In addition, this pandemic has shown us that our world of work, education, communication and services has radically changed. What do we need to do now? We need to adapt our global governance model to what we are seeing in the real world. This is also true if we wish to make this global opportunity a golden opportunity potentially for those countries that are looking to leapfrog and for those people who have the skills to participate in the global services market, but who happen to come from the countries where it is difficult to offer their services to the rest of the world and for those in world, notably women and people with disabilities, who have found it very difficult to participate in the job market previously. Now, in this post-COVID world, it has been proven that you do not have to be where you are working. This is a golden opportunity for the weaker sectors of our society. We have to understand that we have to give our children and adolescents the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to participate in this new world of technology. Finally, we do not need national or regional governance structures, such as the European Union, but rather a global governance structure that will create a legally permissive environment for all these developments, including, of course, the necessary cyber security.

Allow me to begin by congratulating the Republic of the Niger on assuming the presidency of the Security Council. It can be assured of South Africa’s full support and cooperation. The threat to lives, livelihoods and social stability posed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significant consequences for global peace and security. Situations of instability and conflict have the potential to worsen, and there is a possibility of new forms of social unrest emerging. Vital gains made in political processes towards peace are under threat. It is our collective expectation as the international community that the Security Council will continue to play a key role in ensuring that this pandemic does not undermine international peace and security. It is imperative that the Security Council continue to work closely with regional organizations in this regard, including with the African Union. We must coordinate our efforts and strengthen multilateralism if we are to contain the damage that this pandemic could cause. South Africa and the African Union support the call by the Secretary-General for a global ceasefire and the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable societies. South Africa calls on all parties to armed conflict to use this opportunity to work towards peaceful resolution, all the while addressing the humanitarian needs of their populations. We further support the call for the waiving of unilateral punitive measures, such as sanctions, during the pandemic to enable affected countries to secure much-needed supplies and support. To maintain peace and security, we need a Security Council that better reflects and represents the United Nations membership in keeping with the principle of the sovereign equality of all States. This will ensure that the interests of a few will not undermine efforts at finding solutions to emerging crises that are global in nature. As we look to the post-COVID era reconstruction, we have to address the economic, social, humanitarian and environmental needs of countries. We have to act with urgency to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As the international community, let us choose cooperation above unilateralism, let us choose solidarity above isolation, let us choose unity of purpose above narrow self-interest, let us emerge from this great adversity strengthened and even more united.S/2020/953

Allow me, at the outset, to congratulate the Niger on its successful presidency of the Security Council in September. I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for organizing this important Security Council summit and for your pertinent choice of theme, namely, global governance after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This theme reflects the shared conviction that the Security Council has a central role to play in addressing the implications of this epidemic for international peace and security. I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary-General for his valuable briefing and to reaffirm the unwavering support of Tunisia for his constructive initiatives to escalate the Organization’s involvement and mobilize international efforts to help States and peoples cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and contain and mitigate its effects. I also wish to extend my thanks to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for his remarks, and to express my appreciation for the continued efforts of the Commission and the African Peace and Security Council to silence the guns across our continent and strengthen the capacity of African countries to respond to this pandemic. In the nine or so months since the epidemic began, it has spread to all corners of the globe, and its repercussions for every country and people, without exception, have become more dire. The international community has gradually come to accept that the pandemic has grave repercussions for international peace and security not only in conflict zones, where the pandemic has compounded many existing crises, humanitarian disasters and other volatile situations, but also in every corner of the globe. This pandemic has overshadowed economic, political and social issues, as well international relations. The repercussions of this pandemic may persist for generations and will not disappear when the virus does. They also threaten to exacerbate tensions between international Powers, destabilize regional equilibrium and weaken the multilateral system. In that regard, we completely agree with the Secretary-General’s characterization of the current crisis as “the gravest test the international community has faced since the founding of the United Nations”. Tunisia was one of the few countries that strove to draw international attention to the danger that the pandemic posed to humankind, and to its destructive impact on peace and security and, indeed, on all aspects of life. Let us therefore adopt a new approach to international security, one that is based on strengthening cooperation among States and peoples, because we believe that no nation, however powerful, can confront this invisible enemy that knows no borders, that we have a shared destiny and that the security and safety of all are linked to the security and safety of each individual without exception. In keeping with that belief, Tunisia, in coordination with France, proposed a draft resolution to the Security Council. In the adopted resolution 2532 (2020), the Council underscores that combating the pandemic requires greater international solidarity and a joint, coordinated and comprehensive response under United Nations auspices, and calls for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and a humanitarian truce in various conflict zones in order to enable the safe, unhindered S/2020/953 and sustained delivery of assistance, and for special measures to be taken to protect vulnerable groups. I once again express my gratitude and appreciation to all members of the Security Council for unanimously adopting resolution 2532 (2020), in July 2020. I would now like to stress how important it is to comply with that resolution and follow up its implementation by the various stakeholders, especially as the humanitarian repercussions of the pandemic in many conflict areas grow more dire. The immediate, direct repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global health situation should not obscure its negative economic and social ramifications, as all available data indicate that the world economy will experience a sharp contraction of 5.2 per cent, which will inevitably weaken national economies and drive millions more people towards poverty and unemployment. These repercussions will undoubtedly be felt more acutely in developing countries, particularly among vulnerable groups, whose poverty and suffering will deepen. According to the most recent estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the economic recession will force at least 132 million more people into the ranks of the hungry, who currently number 690 million people worldwide. It is no secret that these and other repercussions will further fuel tensions and conflict in the world and trigger a series of mutually reinforcing crises, presenting the Security Council and international actors responsible for maintaining peace with additional challenges. The gravity and complexity of these shared challenges compel us to think about driving the Organization to go beyond the traditional concept of security, which does not encompass all threats to humankind, and address the non-traditional security threats that the world is experiencing today, such as epidemics, environmental disasters, climate change and cybercrime. The urgent need to push for greater solidarity and strengthen international cooperation becomes all the more evident. Tunisia once again calls on the international community to continue to provide the necessary support to the African continent and to help it to assess its promising potential and enhance its development prospects, thereby contributing to realizing the greater security and stability and sustainable development to which its peoples aspire. The changes in international relations wrought, and yet to be wrought, by the COVID-19 pandemic, and which some believe may establish a new global order with different concepts and innovative mechanisms for action, invite us to reflect on the future of global governance, which will be different from what it was before the pandemic. We therefore call for action in order to deepen a shared awareness among the members of the international community that is based on humanitarian concerns, and in order to build a more just global order. We must make a collective effort to use this crisis as the impetus for a new beginning and the creation of different systems of governance that are capable of dealing with contemporary challenges. This can be achieved only by drawing upon lessons learned, rethinking the priorities of our societies and clinging to the values of solidarity to confront crises and rise to challenges. To conclude, I wish to reiterate the conviction of Tunisia that joint action is vital. Tunisia is determined to contribute to developing a renewed vision of cooperation that all parties can agree on, in order to address the pandemic’s immediate effects and contain its spread, as well as to achieve the goals set forth in S/2020/953 the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It will thus be possible to preserve human dignity and enable the world’s peoples to harness their efforts and energies to achieve comprehensive development, communication and solidarity.

As the world commemorates the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, the Security Council is holding this summit debate, proposed by President Mahamadou Issoufou, to discuss post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global governance. China welcomes and supports this initiative. Earlier this week, President Xi Jinping spoke at the high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations and the general debate of the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session (see A/75/PV.4, annex IV). Reviewing the global situation and the trend of the times, President Xi addressed a series of key questions from a strategic, long-term and historical perspective. What kind of world will humankind live in? What kind of country will China look like? And what kind of United Nations is needed for the world? The answers, as President Xi underlined, lie in the steadfast commitment to the path of multilateralism and to the United Nations-centred international system, and joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for humankind and a new type of international relations. Many leaders have also recalled the founding missions of the United Nations, expressed strong support for multilateralism and displayed a shared aspiration for defeating COVID-19 with solidarity and pursuing peace and development. The world today is undergoing once-in-a-century changes, which are accelerated by COVID-19. Global threats and challenges continue to rise, whose solution urgently requires improved global governance and closer coordination and cooperation. Meanwhile, the collective rise of developing countries and the trend towards a multipolar world — one of the contemporary features of international politics — need to be reflected in the global governance system. If we are to promote global development in the light of the changing needs, we need better top-level design and a reformed, stronger global governance system. To this end, China would like to propose the following five points. First, we need to act on the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. All countries, big or small, are equal members of the international community. Major risks and challenges respect no borders and impact the future of each and every country alike. To tackle them requires strong synergy supported by a global pooling of resources and wisdom. Global affairs must be discussed and decided by all, governance systems built by all and benefits of governance shared by all, so that every country is a participant in, contributor to and beneficiary of world peace and development. Developing countries face greater difficulties. There is every need to make sure that their voices are heard, their concerns respected and their rights and interests safeguarded, which is an embodiment of international justice. Secondly, we need to jointly tackle non-traditional security threats. The first two decades of the twenty-first century have seen the onset of numerous global risks and challenges, from the 11 September attacks to the global financial crisis to COVID-19. Traditional and non-traditional security threats should be managed holistically. Public health security and climate change should be given greater priority on the international agenda. Non-traditional security threats, often multifaceted, can be tackled effectively only with comprehensive, well-calibrated efforts to address both the symptoms and root causes. That is where the Security Council needs to S/2020/953 play a bigger role pursuant to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Thirdly, we need to enhance coordination and cooperation among major countries. Global governance will be strengthened when major countries set an example of acting on the Charter of the United Nations, provide more global public goods and step up their efforts for world peace and development. In such a challenging moment, major countries are even more duty-bound to put the future of humankind first, discard the Cold War mentality and ideological bias and come together in the spirit of partnership to overcome the difficulties. Fourthly, we need to uphold international law and rules. A sound global governance architecture must be undergirded by respect for law and rules. All must adhere to the basic norms governing international relations, such as those of sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes. Rules must be followed and commitments kept. Unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction need to be opposed in order to safeguard the authority and sanctity of international law. Laws and rules need to keep pace with the changing times. The international community needs to establish rules in frontier areas such as the deep sea, polar regions, cyberspace and outer space, to regulate their development and ensure equitable benefits to all countries. Fifthly, we need to bring the role of the United Nations to bear. The major global risks and challenges we face are crises with compounding effects, which cannot be addressed separately. As the most universal, representative and authoritative international institution, the United Nations is better positioned and capable to play a leadership role than any country or any other international organization . Meanwhile, the Organization needs to evolve with the times, increase the representation and voice of developing countries, enhance its efficiency and emergency preparedness and build an up-to-date governance system and capability. The Security Council, the centrepiece of the collective security framework, is part and parcel of the global governance system and tasked with the primary responsibility for international peace and security. Under the new conditions, the Council needs to effectively fulfil the duties conferred upon it by the Charter of the United Nations, contribute to the maintenance of world peace and the stability of international order, ensure security for all peoples and bring hope to global governance. China will continue to work with countries around the world to improve the global governance system and build a community with a shared future for humankind.

At the outset, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines extends our compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. We thank them both for their insightful remarks, and we commend the Republic of the Niger for convening this important and timely discussion. The overlapping health, socioeconomic, political and security risks precipitated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have converged to present our multilateral system with its most complex challenge since the Second World War. This pandemic will claim more than 1 million lives, as it destroys the livelihoods of millions more globally. Given these profoundly altered conditions for life, living and production, our world will never be the same again. It is therefore of critical importance that we adapt our systems of global governance to this extremely challenging contemporary reality. Turbulent times bear disproportionately on the vulnerable — on refugees, displaced persons and those made stateless due to painful cycles of violent conflict; on women and children, who shoulder an unequal share of the social and political burdens; on the communities and families that become fractured due to instability and unrest; and on conflict-affected countries that struggle to safeguard their social contracts as emerging threats such as COVID-19, and existing risk multipliers such as climate change, present themselves in novel ways posing unprecedented security, humanitarian and political challenges. COVID-19 has laid bare the undisputable fact that today’s complex challenges will not be solved by military strategies. Nor can they be effectively addressed in siloes. Moreover, this pandemic has presented incontrovertible proof that, in our increasingly interconnected world, the uneven development of economies, health- care systems and governance institutions produces vulnerabilities that affect us all. We can protect ourselves only by protecting each other. In this regard, we can, and we must, do better to build capacities for the most vulnerable among us, and to promote inclusivity, peace and resilience in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This remains the primary blueprint for a peaceful, just and secure world. In order to tackle the root causes of insecurity and ensure that conflict- affected countries are able to restore trust in public institutions, repair their social fabrics and advance political processes to achieve national unity and reconciliation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emphasizes the need for predictable and reliable development financing. We reiterate our calls to developed countries to honour their overseas development assistance commitments. We also reiterate that a lack of meaningful action by some States to curb their emissions and to set and honour ambitious pledges for climate adaptation and mitigation serves to perpetuate climate-driven security risks in many fragile contexts. To those that suffer the effects of climatic hazards, this failure by major emitters is an act of hostility. From Haiti to the Horn of Africa to the Middle East, the peace and security implications of climate change must be comprehensively acknowledged and robustly addressed. As we embark on the decade of action to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, integrated and coherent strategies that bring together S/2020/953 S/2020/953 all United Nations organs and specialized agencies, within their respective mandates, are urgently needed. Only through a renewed multilateralism that places people at its centre, considers the needs and perspectives of all Member States equally and fully respects the guiding principles of international law can we effectively address the challenges of the twenty-first century.

I thank you, Mr. President, for personally presiding over this important debate on post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) global governance. Also, I thank Secretary-General Guterres and the African Union Commission Chairperson for their insightful briefings. Since my last statement (see S/2020/799, annex 5), at the debate on pandemics and the challenges of sustaining peace, just one and a half months ago, COVID-19 has infected more than 10 million and claimed the lives of over 200,000 people globally. Yet that is just the tip of the iceberg. Many more, particularly those in vulnerable conflict and post-conflict situations, have been, and will be, severely affected due to the lingering impacts of this unprecedented crisis. The pandemic has laid bare the fragility of our world and “risks ignored for decades: inadequate health systems; gaps in social protection; structural inequalities; environmental degradation; the climate crisis”, as assessed in the latest report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization (A/75/1, para. 5). Equally serious, faltering multilateral cooperation, excessive nationalism, political tensions and even the use of the pandemic to trigger discrimination and hatred have hampered our common response. It is important that we stand together against these obstacles and strengthen our commitments towards sustainable recovery from the pandemic and resilience in the face of possible future crises. Experience in many countries and regions, including Viet Nam and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has demonstrated that good governance is the linchpin to cope with interconnected dimensions of COVID-19, particularly through a whole-of-government and people-centred approach, decisive and early response, social unity and cohesion and innovative financing for development. Viet Nam believes that good global governance should aim to deliver for all rather than a few. International efforts should prioritize economic recovery, with a special focus on assistance for developing countries, addressing inequalities and root causes of conflicts and protection and support for vulnerable groups such as women, children, refugees and internally displaced persons. We call for more intensified political and financial commitments, particularly from developed countries, to assist the most vulnerable people and countries in need. As no one wins until everyone wins, how the world emerges from the pandemic will depend on each and every nation’s ability to build trust, nurture commitments and work together to champion multilateralism, with the United Nations as the coordination centre and regional organizations playing a more active role. Multilateral institutions, for their part, should seize this critical moment to spearhead concrete reform measures to adapt their relevance and efficiency to the evolving international context. The Security Council is no exception. To fulfil its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, the Council needs to show the highest level of cooperation, while improving its responsiveness, adaptability and efficiency. To respond in a timely manner to global security challenges and non-traditional security challenges that can aggravate vulnerable political and security situations, it is important that the Council make the best use of available tools, particularly preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacekeeping mandates.Viet Nam supports the implementation of resolution 2532 (2020) and urges all warring parties to earnestly heed the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate global ceasefire. On 8 August, ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement reiterating commitments to maintaining South-East Asia as a region of peace, security, neutrality and stability, and strengthening peace-oriented values in the region, in line with international law. Subsequently, at the fifty-third ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held on 9 September, ASEAN members reaffirmed their resolve to expeditiously develop a comprehensive recovery framework to move forward ASEAN’s COVID-19 recovery efforts and underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation with a view to mitigating the profound impacts of the pandemic. As 2020 ASEAN Chair and a member of the Security Council for the term 2020-2021, Viet Nam is strongly committed to joining global efforts to fight our common challenges and prevent them from undermining regional and international peace and stability.

I wish to thank you, Mr. President, for drawing the Security Council’s attention to the issues before us today. In recent months, we have witnessed unprecedented needs and challenges. School closures on a massive scale have deprived children of safe learning spaces. Lockdown measures have exposed women and children to increased levels of domestic violence. Past epidemics have shown us the cost of deprioritizing public- health services. Vaccination campaigns are being disrupted, and children are at risk of dying because of a lack of regular vaccinations. In addition, mistrust and misinformation are undermining the effectiveness of the response. Hate speech and fake news stigmatize and fuel violence against civilians and health workers. Armed groups are taking advantage of the health crisis to strengthen their grip on civilian populations. In areas of protracted conflict, we see women, men, children, refugees and internally displaced persons being pushed to the brink of starvation. The pandemic has highlighted global challenges and served to exacerbate inequality, fragility and the human cost of conflict. That is why we share your concerns, Sir, about the implications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) for almost every aspect of our lives, for our international cooperation and for global governance. The global challenges facing our world — conflict, poverty, climate change, natural disasters and now COVID-19 — are a stark reminder of the true raison d’être of the United Nations and of the simple and obvious need for enhanced multilateral cooperation. We therefore fully support the leadership of the Secretary-General and his call for a global ceasefire and other initiatives to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. We welcome the efforts of the United Nations system to address the crisis on the ground and to implement resolution 2532 (2020). We continue to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in its transparent leadership of the global response to the health crisis. We call on all Member States to share comprehensive and accurate surveillance data with WHO to ensure the effectiveness of our collective response. We support the humanitarian system and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in their work, their guidance across the sector and their tireless efforts to support the most vulnerable individuals. Belgium contributes €22 million to this multifaceted response and has contributed €5 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The European Union (EU) and its member States have spared no effort: as part of the Team Europe package, the EU has mobilized more than €36 billion to support partner countries in the fight against the pandemic and its impact. It intends to mobilize up to €400 million to support WHO’s COVAX facility, which aims to accelerate vaccine development and ensure fair and equitable access for every country in the world. Indeed, in the words of the Secretary-General, “vaccinationalism” is toxic, because no one is safe until everyone is safe. Solidarity is equal to self-interest. Our discussion today must not be overshadowed by finger-pointing or accusations. The world today cannot afford a geostrategic divide. A coordinated S/2020/953 global response is the only way forward in the fight against these multiple crises. This response must be based on trust and political will; fuelled by respect for the principles and values of multilateral cooperation; and accelerated by innovative approaches. This also requires a Council that is “future-proof”. We lost too much time last March and April discussing digital working methods for the Council to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic. We took too long to reach an agreement on resolution 2532 (2020). What applies to working methods also applies to the means available to the Council to implement its decisions, especially peacekeeping operations. Belgium welcomes the fact that most of those operations have shown a great deal of flexibility and ingenuity in continuing to carry out their mandates, despite all the restrictions, including physical restrictions, imposed on them by COVID-19. However, here again the Council will have to address the issue of the adaptability of peacekeeping operations to future scenarios that are highly restrictive, such as the one we are facing today. Otherwise, Council resolutions — or even the Council in its own right — risk becoming less consequential. All of us — every individual, every community, every country, every Government and every part of the United Nations — must learn together from the effects of the pandemic. There is no doubt that COVID-19 has changed the world and has had an impact on everything from the way we live to the way we work. This is not just a health or humanitarian crisis. It is an economic crisis, a security crisis, a health crisis, a hunger crisis, a protection crisis and a human rights crisis. These challenges only demonstrate that we need to do more, and we need to do it together. Belgium stands ready to assume its responsibilities to this end.

I should like at the outset to express my gratitude to the President of the Republic of the Niger, Mr. Issoufou, for having organized today’s Security Council debate on the very topical topic of global governance after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The novel coronavirus pandemic has acted as a catalyst for the transformation of international relations. It is not only States and integration associations that are being tested for strength but also global governance mechanisms, primarily the United Nations. It is important to learn from current developments in a timely manner and to draw the right conclusions in order to ensure a peaceful, secure and stable future for all humankind. The most important issue that the current crisis has highlighted is the interdependence and interconnectedness of all States without exception in all spheres of public life. Russia has long drawn attention to the transboundary nature of modern threats, including international terrorism, the threat of the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cybercrime, drug trafficking and many more. Now that those threats include pandemics such as the one we are experiencing today, our calls for the development of joint responses to global challenges are becoming ever more relevant. This year’s events have shown that no one can simply fence themselves off from such threats. The coronavirus disease has affected everyone, which means that it is also necessary to jointly overcome its consequences, setting aside our fleeting differences. Unfortunately, our common misfortune has not smoothed out the differences between States, but on the contrary has exacerbated many of them. The moments of crisis that we had observed in international relations have resurfaced. A number of countries are increasingly tempted to look abroad to assign responsibility for their internal problems. Obvious attempts are being made by individual States to use the current situation to promote self-serving, fleeting interests and to settle scores with unwanted Governments or geopolitical rivals. Despite all this, the practice of imposing unilateral, illegitimate sanctions persists, which undermines the authority and prerogatives of the United Nations. We have repeatedly drawn attention to the need to lift restrictions that in the context of the pandemic hit vulnerable groups especially hard and limit their access to food and health care. Secretary-General Guterres also called for the suspension of such measures given current conditions. We strongly support his initiative. The proposal by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on the introduction of so-called green corridors free of sanctions and trade wars, which he advanced at the Group of 20 Summit in April, remains on the table. It is regrettable that those States that apply policies of illegal sanctions continue to turn a deaf ear to our arguments, and even more regrettable that they ignore the basic needs of ordinary people throughout the world. I am firmly convinced that international efforts to overcome the crisis must be coordinated and carried out with the United Nations playing a central coordinating role. The world Organization remains a universal and single platform for dialogue, and its importance in the global architecture amid the pandemic has only increased.In that regard, we consider the increased attacks on the United Nations system as a whole and its specialized agencies to be absolutely unjustified. This applies primarily to the World Health Organization (WHO). The overwhelming majority of countries believe that WHO acted professionally at all stages of the crisis, taking timely and effective proactive steps in close coordination with all Member States. Of course, the capacity of the international health-care system must be strengthened and taken to a new level. Russia has made a significant contribution to those efforts, as it was the first to develop and register the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. We reiterate our willingness to cooperate in the epidemiological field with all interested States and international organizations. The day before yesterday, President Putin, in his address to the General Assembly (A/75/PV.4, annex VIII), offered free vaccinations to United Nations personnel. That is our response to the appeals of our United Nations colleagues. Russia, as President Putin stressed, could not remain indifferent to those appeals. He also suggested convening a video- teleconference with all countries that are developing and producing a coronavirus vaccine. That proposal remains on the table. The current pandemic has turned out to be a global shift, a kind of black swan, that has presented us with a choice: to close down and blame others for our troubles or to emerge from the crisis together and deploy common efforts to ensure a prosperous future of all countries and peoples. And although the choice is obvious, the second path requires maximum political will and strategic thinking. We believe that it is worth starting with an honest and open dialogue, primarily among the permanent members of the Security Council, which, under the Charter of the United Nations, bear special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. In that vein, Russian launched an initiative to convene a summit with the participation of those five countries, as President Vladimir Putin noted in his statement before the General Assembly. An in-person discussion among leaders about the principles underlying interaction among States as well as ways to resolve the most pressing problems facing humankind would be an important step towards strengthening collective principles in international affairs and restoring global strategic stability during the post-pandemic period. We strongly believe that such a meeting should be held as soon as possible, the international epidemiological situation permitting. It is important to reinforce existing formats for communication on the basis of equality, cooperation and consensus, including cooperation within the Group of 20; the BRICS group, that is, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa; and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We are convinced that the future of global governance lies with those organizations that can provide flexible responses to emerging challenges without prejudice to the United Nations-centred character of the international architecture. In October, the work of the Security Council will be presided over by Russia. We will make every effort to ensure that the work of this principal organ of the United Nations is coordinated and effective, involving constructive interaction among all its members, and based on international law and, above all, the purpose and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Once again, I thank the Nigerien presidency for this very useful initiative.

I thank you, Mr. President, for having convened today’s open debate on the issue of global governance after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and for providing us with an opportunity to build on the discussions held during the past months, including during the German presidency of the Security Council. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. António Guterres, and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, for their insightful briefings. We are at a critical moment for the rules-based multilateral order. We need to refocus on the positive potential of cooperation instead of on putting our own countries first. If one of us fails, we all fail. We need to cooperate across our regions and continents if we want to successfully fight today’s problems. In order to mitigate and prevent the heavy impact of global crises such as COVID-19, strong institutions and multilateral cooperation are needed. We must ensure the vitality of those institutions. Reform is an important aspect of these efforts. The founding principles of the United Nations need to be upheld, including the Charter’s call on all Members of the Organization to refrain from the threat of the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. Many of the Charter’s principles are timeless. At the same time, we must not be complacent; we need to be innovative so that our institutions are capable of tackling today’s challenges. The Security Council has a central role to play in bringing to life the value of international cooperation. As we all know, the Charter endows the Council with special stature, powers and responsibilities. Its functioning is essential not just for its own reputation but for the reputation of the United Nations overall. The Council has lost trust because it was not able to find clear words on a joint approach to COVID-19 over a period of months, and to date progress in implementing resolution 2532 (2020) has been insufficient. Let me be very clear: when the Council is exclusively seen as a gallery for the great Powers, we all lose. It is up to all of us, permanent members and elected members alike, to keep the Security Council relevant and functional. It has become glaringly obvious: the Council needs to be reformed. Only then can we ensure its authority and legitimacy. Mention has been made of the World Health Organization (WHO), which is a central coordinating element of the multilateral system. Comprehensive global health protection, including pandemic preparedness and response, is possible only if WHO is strengthened in a sustainable manner. We should see the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to address existing challenges for WHO in general and in the area of health protection in particular. At the moment, our expectations exceed the capacities of WHO. Innovation is also needed when it comes to dealing with emerging threats to international peace and security. We must do more on crisis prevention and on how to address catalysts of conflict such as human rights violations, the effects of climate change and threats to global health. We need to advance a more preventive agenda. And of course, for Germany, the future of multilateralism also requires a strong role for the European Union (EU). As the EU, we have taken some important steps in the response to the pandemic. We set up the Access to COVID-19 Tools S/2020/953 S/2020/953 Accelerator together with civil society partners. We launched the Coronavirus Global Response initiative. Germany has been at the forefront of the global fight against the pandemic, showing solidarity through practical support and as a donor. Rest assured that we will continue to do so. Germany unequivocally supports the United Nations and advocates a joint approach for the international community in tackling global challenges. That is our only chance of success. Through the framework of the Alliance for Multilateralism, we seek to enhance the search for joint solutions. We strive to support the existing multilateral framework when it is challenged. Tomorrow, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, foreign ministers will meet under the theme “Our Commitment and Contribution to Building Back Better”, where initiatives in the fields of climate change and health among others will be presented. Let me conclude by reaffirming that my country is convinced that in this interconnected world, multilateral cooperation is the foundation of peace, security, prosperity, equality and justice. To uphold and strengthen this multilateral order, we have to nurture it and invest in it. We have to invest in its legitimacy.

First, I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important meeting. I also wish to thank the Secretary-General and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for their comprehensive briefings. This meeting is timely, for at least two reasons: the world continues to suffer from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the United Nations is marking its seventy-fifth year. As the Secretary-General highlighted in a previous debate of the Security Council, COVID-19 impacts our lives in profound ways. The pandemic may prolong existing conflicts and risk creating new ones, perpetuate poor humanitarian conditions and insecurity and create economic and social disruptions, thus triggering relapses of conflict. We also see worrisome trends in the broader geopolitical reality, such as escalating political rivalries that, at times, seem to paralyse international institutions and emerging powers asserting their leadership in regional contexts. Against that backdrop, I would like to reiterate three points. First, I wish to highlight the role of the Security Council. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the United Nations has utilized all the tools at its disposal to respond to it, such as the call for a global ceasefire, the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, and United Nations missions on the ground. In addition, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2532 (2020), which contains important provisions to fight COVID-19. Moving forward, the Council should continue to play an important role. It must continue to monitor ceasefire commitments; support the efforts of United Nations missions on the ground in assisting host countries; ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance; and ensure, along with other bodies like the Peacebuilding Commission, that peacebuilding progress is not reversed. Secondly, beyond that role, the Security Council must respond to potential changes in the security environment in the aftermath of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the world’s preoccupation with security threats to existential threats. The United Nations system, including the Security Council, must rise to that task. It must be noted, however, that the Security Council is not the only United Nations organ with the competence to tackle this issue. We must enhance coordination and coherence with all United Nations bodies and organs, while leveraging individual advantages and expertise. Synergy and the division of labour based on individual mandates and competencies are crucial if we are to avoid overlapping and working in silos. We must ensure that the Security Council remains responsive, adaptable and action-oriented. Thirdly, the pandemic is likely to accelerate the fragmentation and recomposition of the global world order. While a coordinated international response is more urgent than ever, power frictions could, unfortunately, reinforce factors that render many United Nations bodies dysfunctional. That, in turn, could result in the further erosion of trust in global institutions. Some might even argue for a total overhaul of the principles and commitments to the global governance system. Nevertheless, there is currently no alternative structure to help us coordinate a better global response to the pandemic or other global calamities. A more realistic approach is to look for room for improvement.S/2020/953 To that end, Indonesia is of the view that it is important for the United Nations to remain fit for purpose and enhance its relevance. That means, inter alia, better representation to ensure inclusiveness and enhanced effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. The United Nations system must also move past rhetoric and deliver results. In the short term, we must focus on facilitating access to affordable vaccines and treatment. But, we must also develop a long-term, comprehensive strategy to recovery and resilience. We should also continue to plan for an unpredictable future. That requires far-sighted leadership, adaptability and a strong early warning capacity. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a stern reminder that the future demands far better international cooperation, stronger collective leadership and more decisive action. The pandemic exposes the shortcomings of the multilateral system and, at the same time, shows what we all can do to overcome those weaknesses. The post-pandemic global governance that we wish to see is one in which everyone works together with a renewed sense of global solidarity, unity and responsibility, for the benefit of all. Statement by the Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations, Dian Triansyah Djani I am sorry to take the floor again. I wish to reiterate our appreciation to the Niger for convening this meeting. I would simply like to add, in addition to the statement of the Indonesian delegation, made by the Indonesian Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, and in the context of today’s discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic, to draw the attention of all Council members to the statement delivered on 22 September, the first day of the Assembly’s high-level general debate, by President Joko Widodo. Specifically, I would like to conclude as he did: “A healthy world, a productive world, needs to be our priority. All of these will only be achieved if all of us continue to work together, work together and work together. Let us solidify our commitment and consistently carry out our commitment to work together.” (A/75/PV.5) S/2020/953

I thank President Issoufou and the Nigerien presidency for convening this very important meeting. May I first join others in thanking the Secretary-General for his valuable insights and commending his efforts at leading us through this global pandemic. I also wish to thank Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat for his contribution and the specific focus and insight he brings from Africa, as well as for the response of the African Union. If I may, I want to start with positives. As we face challenges, we often forget what has truly been achieved. The United Nations system, particularly the World Health Organization, has responded quickly to health, humanitarian and socioeconomic needs and has deployed around the globe in places that are home to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have adapted their instruments to the macroeconomic challenges posed by the pandemic, and have worked diligently in partnership with the United Nations. The Group of 20 moved swiftly to suspend debt-service payments for the world’s poorest countries so that those nations are supported in their direct efforts to protect lives first and to alleviate economic and financial crises. And, as Minister for the Commonwealth, I note that the 54 Commonwealth Heads of Government issued a joint statement setting out a full range of international priorities in response to the pandemic and a commitment to work to mitigate its effects. I also acknowledge Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to which the United Kingdom recently pledged over $2 billion — an organization that has seen nations come together in search for a solution to protect people with diseases. These examples show the international community and the global response at its best, working together and meeting our collective needs through multilateral and good faith efforts, with full cooperation among the States Members of the United Nations. Yet, as much as this crisis has brought us together, there have been times when it has driven us apart. At times, geopolitics have dampened cooperation and hindered our agility. The pandemic has tested the international system like never before. It is therefore in our collective interest to ensure that the multilateral system does not just survive this crisis, but rather emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger and more united in order to cope with future challenges. There will be a time to reflect on the lessons of this pandemic and how we can better prepare for the next challenge. The United Nations reforms implemented over the past two years have been shown to work, and we must continue them and strive to improve all our international organizations. But now is not the moment to reject international institutions. The principles that emerged from one of the darkest periods of human history, as the Secretary-General reminded us, are needed once again to bring us out of the lockdown and back into the light. Preventing the indirect effects of this pandemic may prove harder still, with implications for international peace and security. We know, for instance, that hundreds of millions of people around the world face food insecurity. Sadly, that will get worse. Global cooperation is therefore both critical and necessary to avoid catastrophe. That is why the United Kingdom made a call to action to prevent famine, with $150 million of new funding, on top of the $1 billion we have already contributed to the international response. We also appointed a new Special Envoy for Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Affairs, Nick Dyer. We urge all Member States to support our collective efforts.In conclusion, let me assure all colleagues, partners and Member States that the United Kingdom firmly stands by the values of the Charter of the United Nations. We believe strongly in its principles of peaceful international cooperation and, particularly, respect for human rights. This year, as we commemorate the seventy- fifth anniversary of the United Nations, we should all reaffirm our commitment to those valuable principles and, in doing so, rebuild, equip ourselves and renew our support to ensure that we can come together to tackle challenges and seize opportunities that lie ahead.

I thank Secretary-General António Guterres and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Faki Mahamat, for their comprehensive briefings. As we commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, we reflect on the complex challenges facing the world, including the greatest crisis since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. The coronavirus disease pandemic is a threat to international peace and security. It has brought the world to a general halt and deepened social and economic instability, threatening to exacerbate old and create new conflicts. It is jeopardizing hard-won development and peacebuilding gains, and is instilling fear. The aftermath of the pandemic has shined light on the obstacles to collective action in conflict situations through a series of global challenges such as climate change and famine, and has made more evident the structural flaws in the system of global governance. The costs of inaction have been alarming. The Council must serve as a fundamental guarantor of global stability. The crisis calls for stronger unity to bolster resolution 2532 (2020) with concrete actions while prioritizing global health. The holding of this debate is therefore very timely, and we thank the Niger and President Issoufou for their leadership. Responding to the pandemic and its consequences requires effective and inclusive multilateralism. A coordinated, comprehensive and people-centred response based on solidarity, with a special focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized, is therefore essential. Its absence would undermine efforts to mitigate the pandemic. In that regard, we congratulate the Secretary-General and the World Health Organization on their efforts to coordinate a global response, and pledge the support of the Dominican Republic. Achieving a stable balance between economic growth and social well-being requires collective and multi-level leadership. Governments, regional organizations, international institutions and civil society must act together in the spirit of cooperation, driven by a coherent and integrated approach. That includes South- South and triangular cooperation and working in the context of the humanitarian- development-peace nexus. The pandemic has revealed the structural inequalities within and among societies, as well as unequal access to basic services, such as education. Children, women, refugees, migrants, internally displaced persons and people affected by conflict are among the most vulnerable. In addition, gender-based violence, including domestic violence, is increasing. It is therefore essential to support vulnerable populations and to build resilience in communities. In that regard, intercommunal violence and other forms of insecurity deserve our urgent attention. Working directly with communities and local peacebuilders will enable a more rapid and peaceful resolution of this crisis in conflict-affected countries.However, there is no doubt that domestic policies alone are not the way forward. Despite a climate of political polarization and the challenging geopolitical dynamics, multilateral reform must prevail. In the quest for socioeconomic revitalization in the midst of the pandemic, we must address the humanitarian situation, strengthen the rule of law, ensure the full and meaningful participation of women and youth in decision-making processes, and invest in development. In addition, global governance is needed to achieve a secure cyberspace. The increase in cybercrime strengthens the links between terrorists and criminals. Cyberspace requires unprecedented international collaboration to prevent the expansion of recruitment and training activities. The Security Council must strengthen its relationship with other organs and entities of the United Nations system. It must be more agile, inclusive and representative, and it must restore people’s trust — specifically the trust of those living in conflict situations. Global governance must be more sensitive to risk, and a change in international power relations is critical. Channels of accountability through existing Council mechanisms are urgently needed to ensure and monitor the implementation of the ceasefire, in line with resolution 2532 (2020). Implementation is not yet a reality in many situations, such as those in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan and the Sahel. We must ensure not only that more resources are mobilized but also that debt is repaid, so that countries can emerge from the crisis. International financial institutions, the private sector and donor countries are key partners in providing rapid assistance to countries affected by conflict. We take this opportunity to call for support for the United Nations-coordinated humanitarian response plan in order to reduce the likelihood of the pandemic generating the dangerous consequences we fear so much, namely, increased instability and conflict in the years ahead. This is the time for unity, for embracing our common humanity and for building back better for the collective good. We are safe only if everyone is safe.

I thank Secretary-General Guterres and President Issoufou for hosting this important conversation. You know, shame on each of you. I am astonished and disgusted by the content of today’s discussion. I am actually quite ashamed of the Security Council, in particular the members of the Council who took this opportunity to focus on political grudges rather than the critical issue at hand. I can only say “my goodness”. Moreover, I am disappointed on behalf of the people you are trying to reach, by squandering this opportunity for political purposes. President Trump has made it very clear that we will do whatever is right, even if it is unpopular, because — let me tell members of the Council what — this is not a popularity contest. Having said that, I intend to make my remarks today responsible and responsive to the content of the topic at hand today. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) remains a threat to the daily lives and livelihoods of billions around the world, and every life lost, every family harmed, every school closed and every business shuttered is a reason for sorrow. We, as a global community, must continue the battle and keep our sights focused keenly on the return of better days. The United States has been unrelenting in its efforts to combat COVID-19, both at home and abroad. As President Trump noted in his address to the General Assembly at the general debate at its seventy-fifth session (A/75/PV.4, annex II), our nation launched the most aggressive national mobilization since the Second World War to address the pandemic. That has meant huge investments in treatment and care, as well as activating a nationwide vaccine-development effort. Those actions have saved countless lives and hold the prospect of bringing the pandemic to a swift end. To date, we have also allocated more than $20 billion to benefit the international response, including commitments for vaccine development, therapeutics and medical infrastructure. This funding, provided by generous American taxpayers, is saving lives in more than 120 countries around the world. In addition, we are actively supporting the Secretary-General’s call to provide resources for the United Nations response. The United States has contributed more than $900 million to the United Nations response, by far the most of any country to date, and let me just name the most recent contributions of a few of those countries: the Niger, $4.6 million; South Africa, $8.4 million; Indonesia, $5 million; Viet Nam, $9.5 million; and Tunisia, $600,000. However, as our spending continues to outpace available resources, it is not sustainable for any country or handful of countries to meet the lion’s share of the growing needs. The Trump Administration will continue to catalyse the international response to this pandemic, and we encourage others to join us by devoting greater resources to common objectives. As we continue to mobilize resources, we must also reinforce the Secretary- General’s appeal for a global ceasefire as expressed in resolution 2532 (2020), with the understanding that legitimate and necessary counter-terrorism efforts will continue. Faithfully implemented, ceasefires would provide a necessary respite for women, children and men on the front lines of violence and conflict, who are therefore particularly vulnerable to the virus.S/2020/953 Unfortunately, early signs show a slipping of compliance in conflict zones, and many countries are in fact now experiencing an escalation of violence. We condemn in the strongest possible terms terrorist organizations that have taken advantage of this difficult situation to escalate fighting and violence, and we call upon State sponsors of terror, most notably the Islamic Republic of Iran, to finally and completely cease funding and arming terrorists around the world. As President Trump clearly stated in his speech before the General Assembly on Tuesday, to chart out a better future, “we must hold accountable the nation which unleashed this plague onto the world: China” (A/75/PV.4, p. 17). The Chinese Communist Party’s decision to hide the origins of this virus, minimize its danger and suppress scientific cooperation transformed a local epidemic into a global pandemic. More importantly, those decisions have cost hundreds of thousands — hundreds of thousands — of lives around the world. The actions of the Chinese Communist Party prove that not all States Members of the United Nations are equally committed to public health, transparency and their international obligations. This fact should deeply trouble all of the responsible nations of the world that are working in good faith to defeat COVID-19 and keep future pandemics from emerging. We must all recommit to the full and rapid sharing of public health data with each other; that is essential from both a containment perspective and a moral perspective. Equally troubling is the danger posed by corrupt international organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) was for many years considered a centre of science over politics and of data over bias. That is why the United States was always the single-largest funder. That reputation lies in tatters today after the WHO assisted in the Chinese campaign to withhold cooperation and lie to the world. To this day, the world’s scientists still do not have a complete understanding of the origins, characteristics and spread of the virus — an understanding that only the Chinese Communist Party can provide. Going forward, the international community must place accountability and transparency at the centre of our efforts to address threats to global health. Its lack of independence, transparency and accountability is why President Trump made the decision for the United States to withdraw from the WHO and why we will continue to call for reform of the organization while we shift our global health resources to support other, more credible partners and more credible countries. This pandemic spares us little time to absorb its lessons, but we must try to do so, nevertheless. The impacts of COVID-19 have been felt by all of us and must be a source of unity, not division. Each of us must commit to working together in transparency and in good faith. The United States — the Trump Administration — will continue to lead the way, as we always have done. We remain firmly committed to a safer and more secure world.