UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appealed to warring parties throughout the world for an immediate ceasefire to enable the human family to tackle a common enemy – COVID-19. 

 

"I am appealing specifically for a complete, immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria to enable an all-out-effort to suppress COVID-19 in Syria. Syrians are acutely vulnerable to COVID-19. Healthcare facilities have been destroyed or are degraded. There is a shortage of key medical equipment and health professionals," he said. 

 

Internally displaced persons and refugees, as well as detainees and abductees, are living in conditions that are especially dangerous. 

 

"I have real concerns for the impact on Syrian women, who are already at the forefront of existing health and community support systems. This common threat knows no boundaries. It does not discriminate. It does not care whether you live in areas controlled by the Syrian government or other areas. It endangers all Syrians," he said. 

 

To confront this danger, the long-suffering Syrian people desperately need a sustained period of calm throughout the country respected by all parties. Recent ceasefire agreements have de-escalated violence in northeast and northwest Syria, and this is welcome. But these remain fragile and renewed violence could erupt at any moment. This would have dire implications for Syria and for the global response to COVID-19 at large, he added. 

 

"That is why a nationwide ceasefire - which I have long called for and is a foundation of Security Council resolution 2254 - is needed now more than ever - and why it must be respected by all parties," he said. -TradeArabia News Service