This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Published on July 10, 2020, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered a passionate speech in Geneva, condemning the lack of leadership and solidarity in the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"My friends, make no mistake: The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself," Tedros said. "Rather, it's the lack of leadership and solidarity at the global and national levels."
His words were a thinly veiled swipe at leaders including US President Donald Trump, who has waged a public battle against the WHO while failing to suppress the world's worst Covid-19 outbreak in his own country.
The US is regularly reporting single-day record rises in cases, with over three million confirmed infections earlier this week. Brazil's President, Jair Bolsonaro, has contracted Covid-19 after playing down its severity for months.
India announced its biggest single-day rise in cases on Thursday, and the spread of the virus is picking up pace in Mexico. Australia has been forced to seal off more than 6 million people in the state of Victoria after a renewed surge in the disease in Melbourne.
"How is it difficult for humans to unite to fight a common enemy that's killing people indiscriminately?" Tedros asked during his plea. "Are we unable to distinguish or identify the common enemy? Can't we understand that the divisions or the cracks between us actually are the advantage for the virus?"
He urged a coming-together of global powers, telling attendees: "Covid-19 is a test of global solidarity and global leadership."
The US has announced its formal withdrawal from the WHO, which has drawn criticism from bipartisan lawmakers, medical associations, advocacy organizations, and allies abroad. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has vowed to reverse the decision "on (his) first day" if elected.
