OREANDA-NEWS. UN Secretary General António Guterres warned that a coronavirus pandemic could be disastrous for the global economy if urgent measures were not taken. He made such a statement on Thursday, speaking at a high-level video event on financing for development in and after the pandemic.

“If we don’t take action now, the coronavirus pandemic will cause incredible destruction and suffering around the world”, said the Secretary General. "Famine will reach historical proportions. More than 60 million people will be in extreme poverty. Up to half of all the world's workforce - 1.6 billion people - without earnings", he listed the possible consequences.

According to Guterres, a drop in world production could reach $ 8.5 trillion, which will be the sharpest decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s.