BURLINGTON, Vt. — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sees two potential scenarios playing out in the global response to COVID-19.
In the first scenario, wealthy nations — led by the G-20 — will find a way to deliver meaningful debt relief to low- and middle-income countries, “seriously mobilize the liquidities necessary to support the developing world,” and lead an effort to ensure the COVID-19 vaccine is a “people’s vaccine.”
“If that is the case, I believe that in two to three years time it will be possible to progressively come — I wouldn't say to a perfectly reestablished situation — but come to a moment of progress and hope that the future is possible,” Guterres told Devex editor-in-chief Raj Kumar, in an interview ahead of the U.N.’s 75th general assembly.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
