WHO chief: the humanitarian system is being pushed to its limits

Shafaq News/ COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, and natural disasters are shaping up into humanitarian catastrophe, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

With tomorrow being World Humanitarian Day, the WHO chief said, "I can honestly say that I have never seen so many emergencies happening simultaneously."

Pointing out that this moment in history is one of extreme fragility, he said, "the humanitarian system is being pushed to its absolute limit and beyond by the climate crisis, natural disasters, conflict and the pandemic."

"What is clear is that it's critical to get first shots into arms and protect the most vulnerable before boosters are rolled out," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told Wednesday's press conference.

"The divide between the haves and have nots will only grow larger if manufacturers and leaders prioritize booster shots over supply to low- and middle-income countries," he said.

"The virus is evolving, and it is not in the best interests of leaders just to focus on narrow nationalistic goals when we live in an interconnected world, and the virus is mutating quickly."