New York (AP) - UN Secretary General António Guterres has asked the G20 countries to give concessions to developing countries and a huge international economic plan in the corona crisis.
A "plan like in times of war" had to "feed massive economies to the economies and reach a double-digit percentage of the gross world product", wrote Guterres in a letter from Monday, which is available to the German press agency. The volume envisaged by the UN chief would be several trillion dollars.
"We need to create the conditions and mobilize the resources needed to ensure that developing countries have equal opportunities to respond to this crisis in their societies and economies. Anything other than this commitment would lead to a pandemic of apocalyptic proportions that affects us all, "continued Guterres. If the virus spreads like wildfire around the world, its eradication would become increasingly difficult.
The package should give priority to debt restructuring for poorer countries, and the industrialized nations should refrain from paying interest in 2020. Customs duties for medical and similar products would also have to be abolished and cross-border trade in this area reorganized. Social protection for workers, tax breaks and access to credit are also needed.
Guterres had already asked the leading states to act together in the past few days. One has to move away from national strategies and towards a global, coordinated response in order to support the weaker countries in the fight against the corona virus. Otherwise, millions of people could die. A global recession is "almost certain". A virtual meeting of the G20 leaders is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
