'No country can face the crisis alone': Minister Shahid at Bahrain Visions Forum 2020

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, on Tuesday, remarked that no country could face the COVID-19 crisis alone, while addressing the Bahrain Visions Forum 2020 under its theme 'Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s beyond the COVID-19 pandemic'.

Held on the sidelines of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the virtual event was organized by the Bahranian Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, in partnership with The World Health Organization (WHO).

Emphasizing on the need for countries to collectively achieve transformative action in order to meet the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development during the unfolding decade.

"2020 has been a devastating year, and what makes it unique is that these difficulties have spared no corner of the world... COVID-19 has also shown that no country, big or small, rich or poor, can face the crisis alone", said the Minister.

"We have been fortunare that our friends in the international community have helped us in our journey so far”, he added.

"Despite the urgency of [the] COVID-19 response, we must not lose sight of the medium- and long-term development goals. The realization of these goals are vital to ensuring we build better, greener and stronger".

Minister Shahid also iterated the importance of fulfilling SDG 13 on strengthening climate action, noting that human civilization was left with a narrow window of opportunity to reverse the negative impacts that follow global climate change on its current trajectory.

The Bahrain Visions Forum is held annually at the UN Headquarters in New York during the high-level segment of the United Nations General Assembly and was attended by UN's incumbent Secretary General Antonio Guterres, former UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon, World Health Organization (WHO)'s Director General world Health Organization.