The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres said that the world is nearing the grimmest of milestones due to the coronavirus as nearly one million lives have been lost to the virus. He added that the coronavirus outbreak remains out of control.’

The coronavirus pandemic has put immense pressure on the world, creating a socio-economic crisis from which countries, societies and institutions have not been able to come out as yet. The pandemic was first noticed in Wuhan, China, in 2019 after which it spread fast across the world.

He urged on the 75th anniversary year of the UN that the global community make a new collective push for peace. "My appeal resonated with member states, civil society and a number of armed groups across the world," Guterres said at a hybrid press conference held at the UN headquarters in New York..