Antonio Gutierrez
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General
Photo: Antonio Gutierrez’s twitter
By Landing Ceesay
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez has called on the world to double vaccine production to reach 70% of its population before June 2022; after describing the world’s response to the covid-19 pandemic “too slow and too unequal”.
“Two weeks ago, I launched our common agenda, a plan to rebut the multilateral system to gather the world around our common objectives. Because only by recovering together, we can have Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) back on track. I have seen five variables for urgent action. First, we need to end this Covid-19 pandemic; our response is being too slow and too unequal. I call on the world to mobilise the global vaccination plan to double vaccine production to reach 70% of the world’s population before the middle of next year (2022),” Gutierrez said.
He said the globe has been challenged by climate change, conflicts, and Covid-19, which is making the attainment of the SDGs out of reach.
“Our world is challenged like never before from climate change to conflicts to Covid-19, which is putting sustainable development goals further out of reach. It will be easy to lose hope but we are not hopeless or helpless. We have a pass to recovery, if we choose to take it. That’s what the SDG moment is all about coming together to save our planet and each other, coming together also with the BTS [popular music group]which is a fantastic contribution,” SG Gutierrez said.
The UN boss called on world leaders to invest in systems that support human development.
“This means making bold investments in systems that support human development from education, universal social protection to health care and jobs. It means putting people above profits including suppression of taxation and ending tax evasion, money laundering, and financial flaws. It means reforming the global financial system, tackling depth distress and ensuring that developing countries benefit from the recent allocation of special drawing rights,” he said.
Talking about equal rights for everyone, Gutierrez said the world cannot achieve any of the SDGs without gender equality.
“We need both investment in girls that sit in the classroom and the skills they need to chart their own future. We need to release the mental, power structure that allows discrimination, violence, the economic hardship to keep one of humanity down. We need to make sure that girls and women are ever seated at every table from the halls of power to the boardroom of business,” Mr Gutierrez told world leaders at the 76th United Nations General Assembly [UNGA] ongoing at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York.
The one-week-event that began on 21st September and expected to end on 27th September 2021 attracted several dignitaries and heads of state and government of member states some of whom have already addressed the gathering, while others including the head of The Gambia’s delegation Vice President Dr. Isatou Touray are yet to address the assembly.
Vice President Touray would address the assembly on 24th September 2021