Coronavirus: UN chief Antonio Guterres criticises global lack of unity

Addressing government heads and health specialists he called for ‘an end to the hubris’

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said the World Health Organisation was “irreplaceable". AFP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has hit out at countries that ignored expert advice on countering Covid-19, as he warned the disease could be “even more devastating” as it spreads into the developing world.

Addressing the World Health Assembly (WHA), an annual gathering of the UN’s 194 members states normally takes place in Geneva but this year is held online, Mr Guterres said the pandemic “must be a wake-up call” as he called “for an end to the hubris”.

"We have seen some solidarity, but very little unity in our response to Covid-19. Different countries have followed different, sometimes contradictory strategies and we are all paying a heavy price.

"Many countries have ignored the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO). As a result, the virus has spread across the world."

Amid criticism of the WHO’s response to the crisis, he said the body was “irreplaceable”.

There are fears that US-China tensions could derail the strong action needed to address the COVID-19 crisis. - AFP/World Health Organisation

The WHA this year will focus almost exclusively on Covid-19, which has killed more than 315,000 people globally and infected around 4.7 million.

The WHO is under fire from some quarters for failing to live up to its responsibilities.

Australia has called for an inquiry into the origins of the disease and the health body’s global response.

US President Donald Trump has been deeply critical of the WHO and has withdrawn US funding.

He has accused it of covering for China, where the outbreak is almost universally believed to have originated.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he welcomed an investigation into the response of “all actors” in good faith.

He said the “WHO is committed to transparency, accountability and continuous improvement”.

"I will initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment to review experience gained and lessons learned and to make recommendations to improve national and global pandemic preparedness and response," he said at the start of the World Health Assembly.

But US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the WHO director-general of lacking independence for coming “under pressure” not to invite Taiwan, which is claimed by China.

Mr Pompeo said the move “deprives the Assembly of Taiwan’s renowned scientific expertise on pandemic disease, and further damages the WHO’s credibility and effectiveness at a time when the world needs it the most”.

He “condemned” Taiwan’s exclusion and said the director-general “had every legal power and precedent to include Taiwan”.

China has previously opposed calls for a review of the origin and spread of the coronavirus but President Xi Jinping of China said he supported a "comprehensive evaluation" of the global response when the virus was brought under control.

"All along we have acted with openness and transparency and responsibility,” he said. Mr Xi offered to share a vaccine as soon as one was available, as well as $2 billion in aid to the poorest countries over the next two years.

A nun wearing a face mask looks up at the window of Pope Francis' studio overlooking St Peter's square as he appears to give his blessing after the Angelus prayer, at the Vatican. AP Photo

Pope Francis looks from the window of the Apostolic palace overlooking St Peter's Square before his blessing to faithful. AFP

People wait for Pope Francis to give his blessing from the window of the Apostolic palace overlooking St Peter's Square. AFP

Soldiers of the Italian 7th CBRN defence regiment 'Cremona' are deployed to sanitise the San Francesco D'Assisi Cathedral, in Civitavecchia, near Rome, Italy. EPA

A medical worker taking a swab sample from a child to be tested for Covid-19, in a street in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province. AFP

Lydia Hassebroek says hello to her friend Rose through her kitchen window in Brooklyn, New York, US. Reuters

People sit on the grass in Central Park in New York City, amid the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

Nurses assigned to the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Kenyatta University Hospital dance during a Zumba class held at the hospital compound in Nairobi. AFP

Buses are seen parked before reopening to the public after the government eased a nationwide lockdown in Lahore, Pakistan. AFP

George Washington University graduate Catalina Perez, right, receives a copy of her diploma from neighbour Paula Lytle as they keep a social distance at a surprise graduation party for Perez, who completed her undergraduate studies in International Affairs across the span of 10 years only to miss her commencement due to coronavirus, in Washington, US. Reuters

Faith healers wear face masks as they perform a healing ritual on worshippers in the town of Mbare in Harare, Zimbabwe. EPA