Criticized for its late reaction, the UN wants to come back to the fore

New York

Surgical masks, 250,000 in total, lay dormant on UN reserves, on the banks of the East River in Manhattan. Residues, no doubt, of rigorous endowments for medical teams deployed in crisis zones, Haiti once, Mali or the Democratic Republic of Congo now.

By the time the organization, 95% of its staff had switched to home telework, had become aware of this precious cargo, Antonio Guterres, its secretary general, had hastened to alert the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. And the appointment was made, Saturday morning, March 28, for the official presentation of the masks to the city submerged in emergency calls to 911 and flash distribution in overwhelmed hospitals.

Read also: Coronavirus: a Norwegian fund to help the poorest countries

This good action has put the United Nations at the forefront of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, at least in the media. After having initially allowed the WHO (World Health Organization, based in Geneva) to communicate on the new pandemic,

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