Highlighting the crucial role of religious leaders in curbing the corona pandemic, the United Nations asked the religious leaders across the globe to put aside their differences and to translate the common values into action.
“Our shared vulnerability to the coronavirus pandemic reveals our common humanity,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. He said this while interacting with religious leaders through online. He highlighted their role in limiting the damage caused by Coronavirus.
“It lays bare our responsibility to promote solidarity as the foundation of our response – a solidarity based on the human rights and human dignity of all”, he said. The UN Chief also mentioned how the religious leaders had joined in the fight against AIDS and Ebola. Guterres pointed out four ways by which the religious leaders could help in the fight against the deadly disease.
The UN Chief asked them to fight against inaccurate and harmful messages. He asked them to reject racism, xenophobia and all forms of intolerance. The religious leaders should condemn violence against women/girls, he said. The religious leaders were asked to support shared principles of respect, partnership, compassion and equality.
The Secretary General also asked leaders to support the governments in the promotion of public health measures such as maintaining good hygiene and keeping physical distance. He asked the leaders to practise all these measures even during religious activities such as worshiping or burials.
With scores of children now out of school, the UN chief told the leaders to support the continuity of education.
Meanwhile, General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad Bande said that the religious leaders had a unique role to play. They can give “hope to the hopeless” and can also provide comfort and community resilience in times of anxiety. He said that the leaders had a major role in mitigating the spread of the disease.
