New UNSC Prez says council's inability to come out with coronavirus resolution a 'shame'

Estonia, the country which will chair the United Nations Security Council(UNSC) for the month of May, has termed the body's inability to come out with COVID-19 resolution as a "shame."

At the virtual press conference by Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations Ambassador Sven Jürgenson said, "it is really a shame we have not been able to fulfillour responsibility. There are stumbling blocks, the situation is blocked at the moment, but the talks are continuing, continuing at a high level. And I hope we come out of the gridlock."

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Estonia has been pushing for COVID-19 meeting and a press statement since March but could not get support because few permanent members of UNSC, notably China had some issues regarding it. The matter finally came up on April 9 under the presidency of the Dominican Republic and now a Franco-Tunisian draft resolution is being discussed.

"It is shame that we have not able to take leadership. There are certain reasons, Estonia has been one of the most active in pushing, pushing very very strongly for more than a month to be there and for the security council to stand were it should stand", the envoy said.

Highlighting the difference, Sven Jürgenson said, "There is no political agreement especially among 2 members of the council and we are expecting to see development and everyone wants council to move forward".

The China-US tiff continues to block the move at UNSC and with Washington and Bejing publicly involved in a war of words, no one knows, when any consensus emerges.

Jürgenson explained, "Still no consensus...(due to) some security council member state...work continues and hope differences will be solved. I do feel as a member of the council UNSC should be active on the matter"

Asked about another initiative on COVID-19, he said, "it would be stuck exactly with the same problem"

United Nations, especially the core body--United Nations Security Council is found missing during the COVID-19 crisis. It was G20 that took the responsibility for a global strategy to deal with the crisis and leaders of the groupin March did a video conference to chalk out an action plan to deal with the challenge.

The idea of the meet was discussed by Indian PM Narendra Modi with his G20 counterparts including the chair of G20 Saudi Arabia. PM Modi had in the month of March taken the global lead in the call for a video conference of SAARC countries for a common approach to deal with the crisis.