US Prevents Voting on UNSC Resolution on COVID-19 Pandemic - Diplomatic Source

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2020) The United States prevented voting on a UN Security Council resolution focusing on the global fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a diplomatic source at the United Nations told Sputnik on Friday.

"The United States has broken the silence without explaining the reasoning behind this move," the source said.

The draft resolution, prepared by France and Tunisia, was put under silence - a procedure under which the document was circulated among the members of the UN Security Council with a deadline for raising objections and proposing amendments. In the absence of any objections, the draft would have become final and submitted for a vote.

Negotiations on the resolution have been stalled since April because two countries at the UN Security Council could not agree on it, the current UN Security Council President Sven Jurgenson told reporters last week.

The draft calls for increased international coordination and an immediate halt to hostilities in all countries amid the COVID-19 crisis. It also mentions the World Health Organization, which had been accused by US President Donald Trump of being "China-centric" and botching the COVID-19 outbreak response.

In April, Trump announced that the United States would suspend funding to the WHO. Earlier in the day, the President said a further announcement on the issue would be made soon.