GA / UNITED KINGDOM

In a video message to the General Assembly’s General Debate, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged a 30 percent increase in funding the World Health Organization. He said, “the UK supports the efforts of the World Health Organization and of my friend, Tedros, to explore the aetiology of the disease, because however great the need for reform, the WHO, the World Health Organization, is still the one body that marshals humanity against the legions of disease.” UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:01
• Production Date: 26 September 2020
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Subject Topical: GENERAL DEBATE
• Geographic Subject: UNITED KINGDOM
• MAMS Id: 2563656
• Parent Id: 2563656
• Alternate Title: unifeed200926b

Description

STORY: GA / UNITED KINGDOM
TRT: 2:01
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 26 SEPTEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT – NEW YORK CITY

1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations

26 SEPTEMBER 2020, NEW YORK CITY

2.Wide shot, General Assembly
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom:
“And with nearly a million people dead, with colossal economic suffering already inflicted and more to come, there is a moral imperative for humanity to be honest and to reach a joint understanding of how the pandemic began, and how it was able to spread - Not because I want to blame any country or government, or to score points. I simply believe – as a former COVID patient – that we all have a right to know, so that we can collectively do our best to prevent a recurrence.”
4.Wide shot, General Assembly
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom:
“The UK supports the efforts of the World Health Organisation and of my friend, Tedros, to explore the aetiology of the disease, because however great the need for reform, the WHO, the World Health Organization, is still the one body that marshals humanity against the legions of disease. That is why we in the UK – global Britain - are one of the biggest global funders of that organisation, contributing £340 million over the next four years, that’s an increase of 30 percent.”
6. Wide shot, General Assembly
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom:
“So I would urge every country to take a fifth step and lift the export controls wherever possible – and agree not to revive them – and cancel any tariffs on the vital tools of our struggle: gloves, protective equipment, thermometers and other COVID-critical products. The UK will do this as soon as our new independent tariff regime comes into effect on 1st January and I hope others will do the same.”
8. Wide shot, General Assembly

Storyline

In a video message to the General Assembly’s General Debate today (26 Sep), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged a 30 percent increase in funding the World Health Organization. He said, “the UK supports the efforts of the World Health Organization and of my friend, Tedros, to explore the aetiology of the disease, because however great the need for reform, the WHO, the World Health Organization, is still the one body that marshals humanity against the legions of disease.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated, “with nearly a million people dead, with colossal economic suffering already inflicted and more to come, there is a moral imperative for humanity to be honest and to reach a joint understanding of how the pandemic began, and how it was able to spread.”

He explained that it is “not because I want to blame any country or government, or to score points. I simply believe – as a former COVID patient – that we all have a right to know, so that we can collectively do our best to prevent a recurrence.”

The British Prime Minister also presented a new global approach to health security based on a five-point plan to protect humanity against another pandemic.
His plan includes a global network of research hubs, more vaccine manufacturing capacity, a global pandemic early warning system and secure supply chains that call for reducing export tariffs imposed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Johnson urged every country to “lift the export controls wherever possible – and agree not to revive them – and cancel any tariffs on the vital tools of our struggle: gloves, protective equipment, thermometers and other COVID-critical products.”

He stated, “the UK will do this as soon as our new independent tariff regime comes into effect on 1st January and I hope others will do the same.”

Prime Minister Johnson’s comments were pre-recorded and aired in the General Assembly Hall as previously agreed by the General Assembly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the inability to gather world leaders in New York as customary, this year’s General Debate will witness the largest-ever participation of heads of states and government in UN history.