“The Covid crisis has shown us many areas in which we have to improve. But we also showed our best side in the pandemic,” he said on Tuesday morning (local time) in the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) with a view to vaccine development and the self-sacrificing work of health workers. “Health workers and other frontline workers around the world have risked their lives to keep other people safe. Global scientific collaboration has made it possible to develop vaccines in record time. Multilateral mechanisms have been put in place to help countries in need of vaccines “said Kurz.
“There is still a lot to do”
“There is still a lot to be done, but these examples give us the hope that we can overcome the crisis together and return to normal,” said the Chancellor at a “High Level Political Forum” attended by UN Secretary General António Guterres participated. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Colombian Vice President Marta Lucia Ramírez Blanco addressed the forum with video addresses.
Guterres calls for global vaccination plan
In his speech, Guterres painted a dramatic picture of the economic and social impact of the pandemic. Millions of people have slipped into poverty, two out of three children no longer have school lessons. “Violence against women has reached shocking levels,” stressed the UN Secretary-General. At the same time, he warned that the pandemic could be exacerbated by new, more contagious mutations. “The world needs a global vaccination plan,” he called for vaccine production to be doubled.
Kurz emphasized that the reconstruction after the pandemic should not forget the poorer countries and also highlighted the vaccine donations in this regard. “We are seeing positive developments in economic growth for some countries, but many countries could fall behind if we do not take the right steps today,” said the Chancellor.
Thanks to “brave men and women”
“One thing is clear: we have to work together and support one another. We have to learn from one another and share best practices,” emphasized Kurz. He then presented the lessons that Austria had learned from the pandemic and specifically named the extensive test strategy that had accompanied the opening of the school, the economic support measures including short-time work that “saved over a million jobs” and the need to to do more for digitization.
In the pandemic, Austria also experienced “the value of international cooperation and solidarity”, said Kurz, who in this context again highlighted the country’s vaccine donations for countries in need. There was praise for the role of the United Nations in the pandemic. Kurz thanked all the “brave men and women” of the United Nations who had “been on the front line in the most affected places” during the pandemic.
Recovery should be “better and greener”
Finally, the Austrian head of government pleaded for a policy change after the crisis so that the recovery would be “better and greener”. “We need solutions for a world that is more sustainable, more inclusive, more equitable, more equitable and more resilient,” he said, referring to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. Austria will continue to stand by those states that need a lot of support, such as the poorest developing countries, the landlocked developing countries or the small island developing states. “It is our shared responsibility as an international community to support the most vulnerable regions in the world and not leave anyone behind.”
Kurz also expressed his satisfaction in the speech that Austria is doing particularly well in meeting the UN development goals, and according to a recent UN report it is among the top 10 of all countries. Austria will remain committed to the UN sustainability goals even during its membership in ECOSOC (from 2021 to 2024).
Citizenship for Holocaust Victims
Guterres had briefly met yesterday Monday at the UN headquarters on the East River. After his appearance at the ECOSOC forum, he wanted to speak to the permanent representatives of the small island developing states on Tuesday afternoon. After that, a bilateral appointment was planned at the Austrian Consulate General in New York, namely the handing over of citizenships to a Holocaust survivor and five descendants of survivors. Due to a change in citizenship law that came into force last autumn, they can receive the red-white-red passport without having to surrender their previous citizenship.
