Minister Goffin welcomes the adoption of the COVID-19 resolution at the UNSC

Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Goffin welcomes the resolution adopted today by the United Nations Security Council in New York on the COVID-19 pandemic. With resolution 2532, the Security Council calls for ninety-day humanitarian ceasefires in all conflict zones around the world to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Security Council thus builds on the call previously made by Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a global humanitarian ceasefire - an appeal to which Belgium has subscribed from the start and which is of great importance for several conflict zones, such as Yemen and Syria.

The ninety-day ceasefire aims to provide humanitarian aid - including medical care and supplies - to needy populations in conflict zones.

At the insistence of Belgium and other members of the Security Council, the resolution recognizes the essential role that women play in the fight against the pandemic. The resolution also explicitly calls for special attention to be paid to vulnerable population groups, such as children and refugees. In addition, our country is currently trying to materialize this ambition of the Security Council in ongoing negotiations on humanitarian access to Syria.

Belgium has been a member of the UN Security Council since January 1, 2019. Its mandate runs until December 31, 2020.