NEWS

Some 70 Nations Endorse UN Call for Global Ceasefire Amid Pandemic

By Craig Lewis

Buddhistdoor Global | 2020-04-06 |

Secretary-General António Guterres. From un.org

About 70 nations are now reported to have given formal backing to an urgent call by the UN secretary-general for a ceasefire on all armed conflicts as the world struggles to battle the growing coronavirus pandemic that has wrought havoc on billions of lives, destroyed livelihoods, and stalled national economies.

“Ten days ago, I issued an appeal for an immediate ceasefire in all corners of the globe to reinforce diplomatic action, help create conditions for the delivery of lifesaving aid, and bring hope to places that are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement published on 23 March.

“The call has been endorsed by an ever-growing number of Member States, some 70 so far, regional partners, non-state actors, civil society networks and organizations, and all UN Messengers of Peace,” Guterres stated. “Religious leaders—including Pope Francis—have added their moral voice in support of a global ceasefire, as have citizens through grassroots mobilization online.” (United Nations)

Guterres identified several nations that had not appeared on the previous list of 53 nations published on 30 March—including several that are currently engaged in armed conflicts—among them: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Colombia, Libya, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. The UN has not yet released an updated list of supporting nations.

In a separate statement on Friday, Guterres, the ninth UN secretary-general, who took office in January 2017, acknowledged: “There is a huge distance between declarations and deeds—between translating words into peace on the ground and in the lives of people. There are enormous difficulties to implementation as conflicts have festered for years and distrust is deep, with many spoilers and many suspicions. We know that any initial gains are fragile and easily reversible. And in many of the most critical situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting, and some conflicts have even intensified. We need robust diplomatic efforts to meet these challenges. To silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace.” (United Nations)

Notably absent from the list to date are four of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council: China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. France has already been formally included on the list. Russia does not yet appear, although it has issued an independent statement voicing support for a global ceasefire. Israel and the UN Observer State of Palestine are both absent.

“The COVID-19 storm is now coming to all these theaters of conflict. The virus has shown how swiftly it can move across borders, devastate countries, and upend lives. The worst is yet to come,” Guterres emphasized. “We need to do everything possible to find the peace and unity our world so desperately needs to battle COVID-19. We must mobilize every ounce of energy to defeat it.” (United Nations)

In unison with his repeated appeals for global peace, Guterres has also called for “ceasefire” measures to address a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” toward women and girls. The UN News reported on Sunday that restrictions on movement resulting from lockdowns imposed by governments around the world in response to the pandemic “have dramatically increased the numbers of women and girls facing abuse, in almost all countries. However, even before the global spread of the new coronavirus, statistics showed that a third of women around the world experienced some form of violence in their lives.” (UN News)

From consortiumnews.com

At the time of writing on 6 April, global SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections were reported to total 1,277,962, with 69,555 deaths so far confirmed, and 264,439 recovered.* The World Health Organization has previously estimated the mortality rate from the virus at 3.4 per cent, based on preliminary data, with the elderly and people with underlying health conditions considered most at risk.

An online petition in support of the global ceasefire initiative, hosted by the US-based nonprofit organization Avaaz, had at the time of writing gathered almost 1.8 million signatures.

“There should be only one fight in our world today,” Guterres said on Friday. “Our shared battle against COVID-19.” (United Nations)

* Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU)

See more

“To silence the guns, we must raise the voices for peace” (United Nations)
Secretary-General Reiterates Appeal for Global Ceasefire, Warns ‘Worst Is Yet to Come’ as COVID-19 Threatens Conflict Zones (United Nations)
“The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war” (United Nations)
UN Messengers of Peace support the Secretary-General’s appeal for a global ceasefire (United Nations)
UN chief calls for domestic violence ‘ceasefire’ amid ‘horrifying global surge’ (UN News)
UN chief urges unity in mobilizing ‘every ounce of energy’ to defeat coronavirus pandemic (UN News)
COVID-19: ‘Some 70 Nations’ Now Back Call for Global Ceasefire (Consortium News)
COVID-19: Italy Becomes 53rd Nation to Call for Global Ceasefire During Pandemic (Consortium News)
COVID-19: Sign the Call for Global Ceasefire! (Avaaz)