A shout out to Global citizens!

As the world today struggles with a pandemic like never before, most of us are locked in our homes moreover our cities. With streets emptied of cars and pedestrians. In Riyadh, who would have thought we would live to see King Abdullah Street cleared of its usual traffic jam. The normally bustling shopping malls, parks, coffee shops, and restaurants all closed down to flatten the curve.

With humanity brought to a standstill globally, by the novel coronavirus (Covid19). It is our duty to spread awareness of social distancing and isolation. We must constantly remind ourselves and others that the world is in this together. And that one must not think of themselves as this virus does not differentiate between nationality, religion nor race. Covid19 has no bounders and governments are doing their best to defeat this pandemic that has affected humanity. Economies globally have fallen and we, the world, are all struggling together to get to our usually busy interactive lives back. We should not lose faith nor panic.

Our frontline warriors are fighting against this chronic virus and risking their lives for months now. On the other side, we can combat this pandemic by being responsible citizens and abiding the rules, regulations, and guidelines of our governments and the World Health Organization (WHO). Doctors and researchers around the globe are doing their best in alleviating the pains of those affected and in finding a cure to save us from this pandemic.

In that aspect, Undp Saudi Arabia has taken early measures in combating COVID19 by activating its Business Continuity Plan. In mid-march UNDP SA started telecommuting its business virtually by utilizing online tools to collaborate with its staff and partners As the leading UN development agency in all parts of the world, UNDP has a strong common cause with Global Citizen in driving sustainable development - and engaging the new generation of decision makers in the process.

Therefore, we must all as global citizens be there for our families and friends around the world in these hard times. We must not feed into stigmatization and discrimination and rather shift our fear and anxiety into global solidarity to build a brighter future for humanity. United together as global citizens let us defeat this virus by joined global efforts and standing together against racism, stigma, and discrimination and by breaking myths.

*A global citizen is someone who is aware of and understands the wider world - and their place in it. They take an active role in their community, and work with others to make our planet more equal, fair and sustainable. But COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the progress global citizens has made. (Oxfam)