Coronavirus: UN Security Council to hold first meeting on pandemic

Nine of the 10 non-permanent members have formally requested a meeting, which will take place on Thursday

The United Nations Security Council meets at the UN headquarters in New York on February 11, 2020. Getty

The United Nations Security Council will on Thursday hold its first meeting on the coronavirus pandemic – by videoconference – after weeks of divisions among its five permanent members, diplomats said on Monday.

Last week, exasperated by the back-and-forth that has paralysed the council, including between China and the US, nine of the 10 non-permanent members formally requested a meeting that includes a presentation by Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

"Meeting confirmed for Thursday," one diplomat said. It is scheduled to be held behind closed doors at 3.00pm New York time (11pm UAE time).

It's not yet clear what form the meeting will take, or what could be accomplished: will the member nations show unity in the fact of a global crisis and a willingness to co-operate, or proceed with a settling of scores?

A nurse adjusts tiny face shield for a newborn baby to protect from new coronavirus at the newborn nursery of the hospital in Samutprakarn province, central Thailand. AP

Members of the medical staff hold palm tree branches at the emergency unit of the Molinette Hospital on Palm Sunday, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Turin, Italy. REUTERS

A motorist rides through a disinfection tunnel during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Chennai. AFP

Employees of the Lantz funeral company, wearing face masks as protective measures, pull the coffin of a victim of the COVID-19 at an hospital in Mulhouse, eastern France. AFP

Christian devotees stand in circles marked on the ground to maintain social distancing as they hold palm branches to celebrate a Palm Sunday event at the Christian neighborhood during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, in Islamabad. AFP

Afghan four-year old Ahmad Yosuf plays with a Spiderman toy in the yard of his house as kindergartens continue to be closed due to the fear of coronavirus outbreak in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA

A woman wearing a protective mask holds a hydrangea at a greenhouse of the Saracino garden centre in Aprilia, Italy. EPA

A man walks his dog in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the twentieth day of a lockdown in France aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. AFP

A man plays with a football on Eastgate Street in a near-deserted Chester city centre in north-West England as the warm weather tests the nationwide lockdown to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. AFP

Municipal workers disinfect the streets of La Paz as a preventive measure to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. AFP

Residents take part in a socializing hour in the courtyard of their apartment complex while keeping a social distance during the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Pasadena, California, U.S. REUTERS

An aerial view shows less than usual passersby seen at a pedestrian crossing at Ginza shopping and amusement district after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from spreading, in Tokyo, Japan. REUTERS

The Ruby Princess, with only crew onboard, docks at Port Kembla, Wollongong, Australia. A criminal investigation will be launched into how cruise line operator Carnival Australia was allowed to disembark Ruby Princess passengers in Sydney, resulting in several deaths and COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the country. EPA

Employees of LG Twins broadcast their intra-team game played for fans at a empty Jamshil baseball stadium, as South Koreans take measures to protect themselves against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Seoul, South Korea. Getty Images

The Security Council has been teleworking since March 12 as the new coronavirus spreads rapidly in the city.

Last week, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution calling for "international co-operation" and "multilateralism" in the fight against Covid-19 – the first text to come out of the world body since the outbreak began.

Russia has tried to oppose the text, but only four other countries backed its parallel draft.

The US has long demanded that any meeting or text specify that the virus first emerged in China, to Beijing's consternation.

Diplomats said Monday that opposition to holding a council meeting was coming from the Chinese and the Russians.

Moscow and Beijing say they believe the council should only consider the pandemic when they are talking about a country experiencing conflict, the diplomats said.

According to several diplomats, France been trying since last week to organise a videoconference with leaders of the five permanent member countries to try to iron out differences, and would prefer that is done before a meeting of the 15-member council.

Along with France, the permanent members are Britain, China, Russia and the US.

The nine countries that requested the meeting are Germany, which spearheaded the effort, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Indonesia, Niger, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.

The last non-permanent member, South Africa, did not support the move, saying the council's remit was peace and security, not health and economic issues.

It's "really irresponsible to block" a council meeting and to "paralyse" the institution since the start of the crisis, a diplomat from one of the nine countries said.