Close X
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
ADVT 
National

Trudeau co-hosts UN COVID-19 conference as Canada continues Security Council bid

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 May, 2020 09:36 PM
  • Trudeau co-hosts UN COVID-19 conference as Canada continues Security Council bid

Canada will co-host a major United Nations conference on dealing with the economic crisis spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will play a lead role in the Thursday event with his Jamaican counterpart Andrew Holness and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The top priority will be expanding liquidity in the global economy and maintaining financial stability while safeguarding the gains being made in helping less-developed countries.

The conference will certainly raise Canada's profile as it competes for a seat on the UN Security Council next month against Norway and Ireland.

Trudeau has spoken to his French, German and other Caribbean nation counterparts about Thursday's conference.

"Canadian jobs and businesses depend on stable and productive economies in other countries, so it matters to us how everyone weathers this storm," Trudeau said Tuesday.

He said more than 300 million people across the globe will lose their jobs and 30 million will be pushed into extreme poverty.

"We can't wait for others to act. It's not in our self-interest, and it's just not who we are."

Trudeau's office said the high-level talks will also look at engaging private sector creditors to save jobs and lower the transaction costs of remittances, the crucial funds that diaspora communities often send back to their home countries. They will also discuss how to prevent illicit flows of money.

The group will also look at "ensuring a sustainable and inclusive recovery by aligning recovery policies with the Sustainable Development Goals," the Prime Minister's Office said.

The UN vote is set for next month, and Canada is running on a platform of trying to help rebuild the post-pandemic world. It pits Canada against Norway and Ireland for two non-permanent seats on the council, starting next year. The winners will serve for two years alongside the five permanent members of the council — the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

Canada is basing its bid for a seat on what it says is its international leadership during the pandemic in the UN and other multilateral institutions such as the G7 and G20.

That includes convening groups of countries to work on ensuring food security in developing countries, keeping vital supply chains open across the globe, and working on new financing models to help countries recover from economic ruin caused by the pandemic.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Assures Health-Care Workers In COVID-19 Fight

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's provincial health officer offered support Friday to health-care workers in the province that has the highest number of COVID-19 cases, saying there are enough supplies for them to safely do their jobs.    

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Assures Health-Care Workers In COVID-19 Fight

Call For Covid-19 Protective Equipment Spurs College, Distiller, TV Show To Help

VICTORIA - The novel coronavirus shut down the respiratory therapy program at Fanshawe College but that didn't stop the school from supplying much needed frontline equipment to fight COVID-19.    

Call For Covid-19 Protective Equipment Spurs College, Distiller, TV Show To Help

B.C. Orders Personal Service Establishments Closed, Including Salons, Spas

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's provincial health officer is ordering all salons, spas, and tattoo parlours to close in the latest measure aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.    

B.C. Orders Personal Service Establishments Closed, Including Salons, Spas

The Latest Developments On Covid-19 In Canada

The latest news on the COVID-19 global pandemic (all times eastern):

The Latest Developments On Covid-19 In Canada

The Latest Numbers Of Covid-19 Cases In Canada

The latest numbers of confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 1:50 p.m. ET on March 23, 2020:    

The Latest Numbers Of Covid-19 Cases In Canada

Trudeau Points To Bailout For Help For Renters Facing Financial Crunch

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pointing to an impending bailout package as a way to help renters affected by COVID-19, though new research suggests hundreds of thousands of households may be in dire financial straits before the federal money arrives.    

Trudeau Points To Bailout For Help For Renters Facing Financial Crunch