Ban Ki-moon and Other Leaders Send Letter to G20... "Appeal for a Global Response to COVID-19"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other current and former world leaders have called for a joint global response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). They proposed raising emergency funds to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to support vaccine development.

On the 6th (local time), 165 current and former heads of state, CEOs, and scientists, including former Secretary-General Ban, sent an open letter to the governments of the Group of Twenty (G20) urging this appeal. They claimed that $185 billion (225 trillion won) is needed for this purpose. Specifically, $35 billion is required for countries with weak healthcare systems and vulnerable populations, and $150 billion is needed to address the health and economic crises in developing countries.

They also called for a swift response to resolve the health and economic crises caused by COVID-19. They stated, "Urgent and concrete measures agreed upon in terms of speed and scale are necessary," and emphasized that "G20 governments must take joint action within days."

They stressed that COVID-19 will not end by being overcome in just one country, but must end in all countries.

In addition to former Secretary-General Ban, the joint letter included the names of current prime ministers of Ethiopia and Bangladesh, the president of Sierra Leone, former Irish President Mary Robinson, former UK Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and John Major, former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, and US billionaire George Soros.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.