On July 8, the International Labor Organization (ILO) held in Geneva the Global Virtual Summit on response to COVID-19 pandemic in the sphere of labor. At the invitation of the ILO head, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev addressed to the participants of the summit, the MFA press service said.

The President noted that the pandemic has shown us a number of problems in the development of sustainable international relations and the absence of a global strategic plan of action in such emergency situations.

In this regard, Mirziyoyev put forward the initiative to adopt the International Code of Voluntary Obligations of States during pandemics under the auspices of the United Nations.

According to the President, this code should stipulate the minimum obligations of countries, both to their citizens and to international partners, in the political, social, economic, humanitarian and other spheres.

Firstly, restrictive measures should be exclusively temporary, with mandatory guarantees of observance of the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Such measures should be proportional to risks, not hampering international trade, especially in medical products, and measures to support the socially vulnerable.

Secondly, the rapid spread of the pandemic has demonstrated the need for systemic, timely and effective prevention measures.

These are, first of all, measures to foresee, contain and counteract the epidemic at the early stages of its spread and minimize its consequences.

Thirdly, the pandemic has confirmed the importance of occupational safety. This applies directly to health-care workers who have shown great heroism in the forefront of the fight against the new disease.