PM presents 10-point agenda for recovery from pandemic

Published December 4, 2020
In this image made from UNTV video, Prime Minister Imran Khan in a pre-recorded message which was played during the UN General Assembly's special session to discuss the response to Covid-19  on Dec 3.  — AP
In this image made from UNTV video, Prime Minister Imran Khan in a pre-recorded message which was played during the UN General Assembly's special session to discuss the response to Covid-19 on Dec 3. — AP

UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Imran Khan presented a 10-point agenda for urgent action before the UN General Assembly on Thursday, underlining the measures the international community needs to take to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first item on his list is a request for debt suspension till the end of the pandemic for low-income and most affected countries.

The second one is the suggested “cancellation of debt of least developed countries” that are no longer in a position to repay their loans.

Other items on the agenda include: restructuring of the public sector debt of other developing countries under an agreed inclusive multilateral framework; a general allocation of special drawing rights of $500 billion; expanded concessional financing to lower income countries through multilateral development banks; and creation of a new ‘liquidity and sustainability facility’, which should provide short-term loans at lower costs.

The agenda also includes a reminder to rich nations to fulfill 0.7 per cent of their official development assistance commitments and mobilising the required $1.5 trillion annual investment in sustainable infrastructure.

The prime minister also urged the international community to help meet the agreed target of mobilizing $100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries.

He also called for immediate action to stop the massive illicit financial outflows from developing countries to rich countries, to offshore tax havens.

Mr Khan also suggested immediate return of assets stolen by corrupt politicians and criminals back to these countries.

The UN General Assembly held a special session on the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday, as proposed by President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, chairman of the non-aligned movement.

Addressing the session, Prime Minister Khan described the Covid-19 pandemic as “the most serious global crisis since the Second World War”.

The virus has infected nearly 65 million people and killed close to 1.5 million.

“Today marks an overdue and much-needed moment of reckoning. None of us could have imagined, this time last year, what was to come,” said the General Assembly’s president, Volkan Bozkir, while opening the two-day gathering.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that “it is time to reset”, the global response to crises like this. “As we build a strong recovery, we must seize the opportunity for change,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2020

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...