On March 23, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced an initiative for a global ceasefire, noting that armed conflict makes it virtually impossible to implement public health measures required to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. He called for support from governments and civil society. And he instructed UN special envoys in regions of armed conflict to intensify their efforts in persuading combatants to lower their guns to allow humanitarian workers to combat the coronavirus.
70 countries have supported the appeal in principle, including eleven countries locked in long-term conflicts, but the UNSG has observed that "there was still a distance between declarations and deeds in many countries".
Click here to add your support to the 2 million people who have signed the Avaas appeal endorsing the UN's global ceasefire call. 