UNSG backs PM Imran's call of global initiative for debt relief

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday supported Prime Minister Imran Khan's call for a global initiative for debt relief for developing countries amid Covid-19 pandemic.

"Imran Khan’s initiative is in the same spirit as the Secretary-General’s own position," said UNSG spokesperson Stephane Dujarric at a regular virtual press briefing in New York.

Dujarric further said the UN chief believes that debt relief must be an important part of the response to COVID-19, including immediate waiver on interest payments for the current year.

"It is important that the limited resources of the world’s poorest countries be used to combat Covid-19 virus," the spokesperson added.



Earlier on April 14, US President Donald Trump halted funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, drawing condemnation from infectious disease experts as the global death toll continued to mount.

Trump, who has reacted angrily to criticism of his administration’s response to the worst epidemic in a century, has become increasingly hostile towards the WHO.

The Geneva-based organisation had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak than otherwise would have occurred, Trump said.