UN Calls for Supporting Africa in the Fight Against COVID-19

On the occasion of Africa Day this Tuesday, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on developed countries to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic on this continent.

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He requested support for debt relief, food supplies programs, and "quick, equal and affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments for African countries."

The Secretary-General also welcomed that the African Union (AU) has supported the UN campaign for a global ceasefire, which has been heard in Cameroon, Sudan, and South Sudan to facilitate humanitarian response.

"This year, the world marks Africa Day under extremely difficult circumstances as we grapple with the pandemic, which threatens to derail progress by African countries towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and the targets set out in the 2063 AU Agenda," Guterrez said.

Africa Day is celebrated every May 25 to commemorate the official birth of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963. 

The UN has acknowledged a "profound imbalance" in vaccine distribution among countries, especially in Africa nations, which have received only 2 percent of vaccines.

This year, Africa celebrates the milestones with several achievements such as the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of polio-free territory in August last year and the inclusion of the couscous as Intangible Heritage of Humanity.