coronavirus led a number of warring parties to take steps to de-escalate and stop fighting.“Yet, regrettably, in many instances, the pandemic did not move the parties to suspend hostilities or agree to a permanent ceasefire," Guterres said.His predecessor as secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, told the council: “It is truly astonishing that in response to this pandemic, the world has placed billions of people under lock-down, closed international borders, suspended trade and migration, and temporarily shut down a whole variety of industries – but has not managed to suspend armed conflicts."Ban criticised the UN Security Council for wasting valuable months “in arguments over the details of the text" and not adopting a resolution until July 1.