New York / Information Office / May 12
Qatar, South Korea, Canada, Denmark and Sierra Leone launched Tuesday the Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security to combat the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19), in a virtual event to launch the group at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
HE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani expressed in a video message the delight of the State of Qatar to participate with the Republic of Korea, Canada, Sierra Leone and Denmark, in launching this initiative, which he considered very important.
His Excellency affirmed the commitment of the State of Qatar to work with the Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security to become a major platform for exchanging views on how to effectively respond to (COVID-19) through various forms of multilateral cooperation.
His Excellency said that the (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of preparing for epidemics as soon as possible, stressing in this context the need to enhance multilateral cooperation. His Excellency added that the group will examine emerging health issues of global importance, innovative ways and work towards a targeted strategy among UN member states.
His Excellency stressed the commitment of the State of Qatar to the exchange of best practices and lessons learned, expressing his hope that the State of Qatar will help in strengthening the collective response and encouraging solidarity among member states.
At the end of the message, HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the battle with the COVID-19 pandemic is one the world cannot afford to lose, and will not win unless everyone work together and rebuild better. His Excellency stressed that the group has an opportunity to benefit from the clear lessons and from what can be done to respond to global health emergencies in the future.
Foreign ministers of South Korea, Canada, Denmark and Sierra Leone participated in launching the initiative.
The group aims to provide an unofficial platform for interested UN member states to exchange views on how to effectively respond to COVID-19 and other challenges to global health security through various forms of multilateral cooperation as it seeks to highlight social and economic problems caused by the Coronavirus pandemic that has caused and exacerbated many problems in the field of human rights, in addition to the global economic downturn, which poses an unprecedented challenge to the development efforts of the international community.
The group works towards focusing on the major threats posed by the epidemic to international peace and security, and calls on the United Nations to play a central role in stimulating and coordinating a strong global response to the epidemic while emphasizing the urgent need for action-oriented international cooperation among all member states of the United Nations.