António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General

In this episode of Talks at GS, UN Secretary-General António Guterres discusses leading the UN’s global response to COVID-19 and the health, economic and human rights implications of the pandemic across the world.

On the human impact of the pandemic: “All aspects of human nature are being impacted from the health crisis to the economic and social situation, but living at the level of the household, to the problems of mental health, to the questions of the preservation of human rights in a situation where control in society has been increasing quite dramatically.”

On the way forward against the pandemic: “I think that to build or to rebuild or to build back in a more sustainable way and, at the same time, in a more inclusive way is a challenge we all face. And I believe governments, the private sector, the civil society, the academia, everybody needs to try to see how we can use this opportunity to anticipate what in any case will be an inevitable transition and to make it more smooth and more fair for all of us.”