MOSCOW -- Russia supports the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.
Peskov made the remarks at a daily briefing commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt the nation's funding to the WHO and assess its role in addressing the spread of the coronavirus.
Peskov recalled that the G20 emergency summit on March 26 adopted a statement, saying that its participants together with the WHO are committed to do whatever it takes to overcome the pandemic.
"The G20 leaders, including Russian President (Vladimir) Putin, pin hopes on the future work of the WHO in analyzing the experience of this pandemic and support the work of the WHO," he said.
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BERLIN -- German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Wednesday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt funding to the WHO.
"Blaming does not help. The virus knows no borders. We must cooperate closely against COVID-19," said Maas on his Twitter account. "One of the best investments is that the United Nations, especially the underfunded WHO, to strengthen, for example in the development and distribution of tests and vaccines."
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UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the WHO must be supported, following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of halting his country's funding to the organization.
"It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19," the secretary-general said in a statement issued by his spokesman.
It is "not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," the secretary-general said.
"Once we have finally turned the page on this epidemic, there must be a time to look back fully to understand how such a disease emerged and spread its devastation so quickly across the globe, and how all those involved reacted to the crisis," he said. "The lessons learned will be essential to effectively address similar challenges, as they may arise in the future."
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WASHINGTON -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday warned that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to the financial stability, as global financial conditions remain much tighter compared to the beginning of the year.
"Following the COVID-19 outbreak, financial conditions tightened at unprecedented speed, exposing some 'cracks' in global financial markets," the IMF said in its newly-released Global Financial Stability Report, noting market volatility spiked, borrowing costs surged and signs of strain emerged in major funding markets.
"These developments have raised the risk that the inability of borrowers to service their debts would put pressure on banks and cause credit markets to freeze up," the report said, adding the pandemic crisis presents "a very serious threat" to the stability of the global financial system. Enditem
