April 1, 2020 – Tunisia has proposed a UN Security Council resolution calling for “urgent international action” to curb the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a draft obtained Wednesday by AFP shows. In broad terms, the draft resolution echoes UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in calling for “an immediate global humanitarian ceasefire.” Tunisia, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, proposes in the preamble that the council express “concern about the impact on food security and economies… all over the world due to work, travel and trade restrictions, lockdown measures and cessation of industrial activities.” Tunisia’s mission at the United Nations could not immediately be reached for comment on the draft.
According to diplomats, the proposed resolution’s fate is uncertain as long as the United States continues to push for identifying the virus’s Chinese origin, which would likely result in a veto by China. Russia, which also holds a veto, might also want the resolution to call for a lifting of sanctions to better fight the pandemic. Without US and European support, the resolution in that case would risk failing to garner the minimum nine of 15 votes required for passage.
The UN Security Council has yet to take a unified position on the pandemic, nor has the UN General Assembly. Only Guterres has spoken out, warning on multiple occasions that “millions” of people are at risk of dying and stressing the need for a coordinated global response to what he described as the worst crisis since World War II. Guterres has extended his order for non-essential UN to stay at home until the end of April.
