UNSC Member States Request Meeting To Address COVID-19 Pandemic - Diplomatic Source

UNSC Member States Request Meeting to Address COVID-19 Pandemic - Diplomatic Source

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2020) A number of UN Security Council member states have requested to convene a closed meeting via videoconferencing which would address the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its impact on the UN operations worldwide, a diplomatic source told Sputnik on Thursday.

"In light of the rapid spreading of COVID-19 in the world and as raised in several VTC [video teleconferencing] meetings, Belgium, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Germany, Indonesia, Niger, Tunisia, Vietnam, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines would like to request a Security Council closed VTC on the impact of COVID-19 on the issues that fall under the UNSC [UN Security Council] mandate, including the SG's [UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres] call for a global ceasefire, on the impact of COVID-19 on the peacekeeping missions and SPMs [special political missions] and on the humanitarian response," the source said.

The source added that the member states had also requested Guterres to brief the Security Council during the meeting.

The UN chief on March 24, called for an immediate halt of fighting worldwide in order to focus together on combating the pandemic.