WHO chief calls for global solidarity, cooperation to end COVID-19 pandemic

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged world leaders to "choose the path of cooperation and act now" to end the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's not just the smart choice, it's the right choice and it's the only choice we have," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the Aspen Security Forum via video link.

"We must seize this moment to come together in national unity and global solidarity to control COVID-19, address antimicrobial resistance and the climate crisis," he urged, adding that for all the differences, "we are one human race sharing the same planet and our security is interdependent."

The WHO chief told the audience that the events of the last seven months are a tragic reminder of the insecurity and instability that disease can cause.

"Today, more than 18.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported to WHO and 700,000 lives have been lost," he said.

Saying that it's never too late to turn outbreaks around and many countries have done just that, Tedros stressed that it's never too late to turn the situation around.

"Our best way forward is to stick with science, solutions and solidarity and together we can overcome this pandemic," he noted.