ADDIS ABABA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exhibited the significance of the multilateral system and multilateral organizations in effectively responding to major global perils, an Ethiopian scholar said on Tuesday.
"The coronavirus pandemic crisis has demonstrated how crucial multilateral organizations are, and how the pandemic will only be defeated through international cooperation," Costantinos Bt. Costantinos, who served as an economic advisor to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The expert, noting the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appeal for a global ceasefire in order to better support the bigger battle against COVID-19, also stressed the importance of multilateral organizations in bringing the global community together for a common agenda.
Costantinos, also professor of public policy at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, considered China as the major proponent of the multilateral system, enabling the global community to collectively respond to major hazards, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The scholar also underscored China's role in providing solidarity and support to Africa's fight against the pandemic.
According to the expert, China and Africa have stood by each other in the battle against the pandemic, as their relationship has stood the test of time and continues to flourish, and China will continue to stand by Africa as it fights the virus.
According to the latest figures from the Africa CDC, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the African continent reached 315,410 as of Tuesday morning as the death toll from the pandemic also rose to 8,334. Enditem
