NEW YORK, MAY 26 – Upon suggestion of Italy, Canada, Chile, Egypt Guyana, Malawi, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden and Rwanda, over 175 UN Member stated adopted a joint statement to “promote open markets, flow of essential goods and supply chain connectivity” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic has severely disrupted societies and economies and sharply reduced global trade and travel, causing unprecedented damage to the livelihoods of people around the world, the countries said, stressing that the measures adopted to counter COVID -19, if deemed necessary, must be targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary, and that they shouldn’t create unnecessary barriers to trade or disruption to global supply chains, and are consistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules”, the UN countries said.
The statement recognizes and reaffirms the need for critical infrastructure such as airports, roads, rail, and seaports to remain open to support the flow of essential goods and calls upon the UN system to target its assistance to helping developing countries secure international access to essential supplies, including through stockpiles held by the World Health Organization, World Food Programme and other UN agencies.
The countries welcome the launch of the UN COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force, including the “Solidarity Flights”, that will continue to distribute medical supplies and PPEs to 95 countries. They recognise the need to urgently mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in humanitarian contexts, and to step up support for the response efforts of the UN and its partners to bring humanitarian relief to those in need. In this regard, they reaffirm the importance of avoiding any disruptions in the movement of humanitarian supplies and workers, in line with the updated UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan.
To read the full text of the statements, click here. (@OnuItalia)
List of Sponsors
1. Afghanistan 2. Albania 3. Algeria 4. Andorra 5. Angola 6. Antigua and Barbuda 7. Armenia 8. Australia 9. Austria 10. Bahamas 11. Bahrain 12. Bangladesh 13. Barbados 14. Belarus 15. Belgium 16. Belize 17. Benin 18. Bhutan 19. Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 20. Bosnia and Herzegovina 21. Botswana 22. Brunei Darussalam 23. Bulgaria 24. Burkina Faso 25. Cabo Verde 26. Cambodia 27. Cameroon 28. Canada 29. Central African Republic 30. Chad 31. Chile 32. China 33. Colombia 34. Comoros 35. Congo 36. Costa Rica 37. Côte D’Ivoire 38. Croatia 39. Cyprus 40. Czech Republic 41. Denmark 42. Djibouti 43. Dominica 44. Dominican Republic 45. Ecuador 46. Egypt 47. El Salvador 48. Equatorial Guinea 49. Estonia 50. Eswatini 51. Ethiopia 52. Fiji 53. Finland 54. France 55. Gabon 56. Gambia 57. Georgia 58. Germany 59. Ghana 60. Greece 61. Grenada 62. Guatemala 63. Guinea 64. Guyana 65. Haiti 66. Honduras 67. Hungary 68. Iceland 69. India 70. Indonesia 71. Iraq 72. Ireland 73. Israel 74. Italy 75. Jamaica 76. Japan 77. Jordan 78. Kazakhstan 79. Kenya 80. Kiribati 81. Kuwait 82. Kyrgyzstan 83. Lao People’s Democratic Republic 84. Latvia 85. Lebanon 86. Lesotho 87. Liberia 88. Libya 89. Liechtenstein 90. Lithuania 91. Luxembourg 92. Madagascar 93. Malawi 94. Malaysia 95. Maldives 96. Mali 97. Malta 98. Marshall Islands 99. Mauritius 100. Mexico 101. Micronesia (Federated States of) 102. Monaco 103. Mongolia 104. Montenegro 105. Morocco 106. Mozambique 107. Myanmar 108. Namibia 109. Nauru 110. Nepal 111. Netherlands 112. New Zealand 113. Niger 114. Nigeria 115. North Macedonia 116. Norway 117. Oman 118. Pakistan 119. Palau 120. Panama 121. Papua New Guinea 122. Paraguay 123. Peru 124. Philippines 125. Poland 126. Portugal 127. Qatar 128. Republic of Korea 129. Republic of Moldova 130. Romania 131. Russian Federation 132. Rwanda 133. Saint Kitts and Nevis 134. Saint Lucia 135. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 136. Samoa 137. San Marino 138. Saudi Arabia 139. Senegal 140. Serbia 141. Seychelles 142. Sierra Leone 143. Singapore 144. Slovakia 145. Slovenia 146. South Africa 147. South Sudan 148. Spain 149. Sri Lanka 150. Sudan 151. Suriname 152. Sweden 153. Switzerland 154. Tajikistan 155. Thailand 156. Timor-Leste 157. Togo 158. Tonga 159. Trinidad and Tobago 160. Tunisia 161. Turkey 162. Turkmenistan 163. Tuvalu 164. Uganda 165. Ukraine 166. United Arab Emirates 167. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 168. United Republic of Tanzania 169. Uruguay 170. Uzbekistan 171. Vanuatu 172. Viet Nam 173. Yemen 174. Zambia 175. Zimbabwe
