Buhari Attends Virtual Summit On COVID-19, Seeks Int’l Collaboration

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, participated in a virtual summit of the heads of state and government of the non-aligned movement (NAM) on response to Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Buhari’s senior media adviser, Femi Adesina, said in a statement that the summit was presided over by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and NAM chairman, IIham Aliyev.

The summit was themed “United Against COVID-19”.

According to Adesina, President Buhari told participants that national, regional and global strategies would be required to tackle the virus.

“The theme of this extra-ordinary Summit ‘United Against COVID-19 Pandemic,’ aptly reflects the importance for a proactive approach and the need for multilateral cooperation in finding quick solutions to the challenges that COVID-19 pandemic poses to our nations.

“Since the outbreak of the disease, countries have made concerted efforts to limit the spread of the pandemic within and outside their borders as well as treating those infected by the virus.

“Two weeks ago, we in West Africa came together to work out a common sub-regional response to the crisis. The summit appointed me the Champion to lead our efforts on fighting the pandemic in our region.’’

Adesina said Aliyev thanked NAM member countries for unanimously endorsing the global fight against COVID-19 in his opening speech.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan had donated 5 million dollars to the World Health Organization (WHO) to help combat the deadly Coronavirus disease, adding that the country had earmarked 3.5 billion dollars for the implementation of the country’s social interventions programmes while also offering tax holidays to some companies to cushion the negative impacts of the virus.

The President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, who also participated in the teleconference, reiterated the commitment of the UN in the efforts to finding solutions to the deadly Coronavirus.

While noting that the virus had disrupted economies of many nations across the world, Muhammad-Bande commended member countries of the NAM for their joint efforts in the fight against the pandemic.

He them to continue to build stronger economies that would address the difficulties being experienced by their respective citizens.

In a video message to the event, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, noted with concern that the virus had so far inflicted serious damages humanity and economies of the world.

He however, stressed the need to sustain global solidarity against the novel Coronavirus.

In his remarks, the WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the NAM Summit on COVID-19 as a welcome development as ”no country can manage the Corona allow.”

According to him, national unity, global solidarity and commitment to peace are vital in the fight against the virus.

“COVID-19 has affected all segments of the society- all countries must work together to ensure that no one is left behind,” he said

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, on his part, lauded China and Cuba for sending medical equipment to Africa to combat the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.