The coronavirus pandemic is threatening all mankind, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned, with more than 450,000 infected worldwide.
All mankind must respond. Action and solidarity at the global level are key, "Guterres said.
He presented a "world humanitarian plan" to support the poorest countries.
"The purpose of this plan is to fight the virus in the poorest countries in the world and to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable, primarily women and children, the elderly, the disabled and the chronically ill," the UN Secretary-General said in a video message.
The number of cases diagnosed is only a fraction of the real number of infected because most countries test only severe cases.
Earlier yesterday, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a joint statement urging lenders to immediately ease debt repayments for the poorest countries struggling with the severe consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is a member of the International Development Association (IDA), which accounts for a quarter of the world's population and two-thirds of the poorest people in the world, and the epidemic will hit them the most.
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