GENEVA — Global leaders called for a joint action as the World Health Organization (WHO) launched Saturday a global coalition to accelerate the development and production of a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, and distribute safe and effective technologies for prevention and diagnosis so that they are available to all who need them all over the world. On behalf of the G20, the Minister of Finance Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan called for uniting ranks to address this serious challenge, and cooperating with all active organizations and bodies to confront the pandemic, indicating that the G20 will try to achieve this through solidarity. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that the new coalition will hold a meeting on May 4 under the umbrella of the European Union (EU) to mobilize resources and collect donations and the necessary financing, amounting to $8 billion in the first phase. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed this solidarity to confront the virus, which is a threat to all, indicating that joint action will lead to a way out of this crisis. President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen stressed the European commitment to solidarity and to contribute to this coalition to overcome this epidemic. Al-Jadaan call for a unified action stemmed from the fact that the G20 is trying to confront this pandemic through solidarity. He added that to enhance the health field, the G20 launched a website to track the impact of the financial difficulties facing the world, which requires the collection of $8 billion. Pledges have been announced to donate $2 billion and we need $6 billion, in addition to obligations to donate other amounts, which will allow to provide all the peoples of the world and all health workers with protective equipment. He stressed the importance of research, development and production to address this virus, indicating that the world may again face a harmful and deadly virus that destabilizes borders and our lifestyle. He added that such things should be anticipated by strengthening the mechanisms of preparedness and response in the future, so that future generations through our insight now can better prepare for such a pandemic, indicating that investment today will benefit future generations. — SPA