UN Secretary General António Guterres called on states to protect education amid the coronavirus pandemic.
To date, school closures due to epidemiological restrictions have affected nearly 1 billion students, he said.
“At this tipping point, I call on all countries to protect education and use the recovery period to bridge the gap in access to learning, expand digital channels and reimagine learning,” he tweeted on Friday April 2.
Almost 1 billion students are still being affected by school closures and restrictions due to # COVID19…
At this pivotal moment, I call on all countries to protect education and use the recovery to narrow access divides, expand digital connectivity & reimagine learning. pic.twitter.com/CRXxrW30zh
– António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 2, 2021
Earlier, on March 11, Guterres said that the coronavirus pandemic could worsen the situation with hunger and increase the number of people suffering from it in the world.
The Secretary General noted that urgent steps must be taken in this direction, and added that at the moment more than 30 million people are just one step away from declaring hunger in more than 30 countries.