NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern [Source: TVNZ]

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed two big global issues facing the planet, the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, in her speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

In a pre-recorded statement for those gathered in New York, Ardern said the virus was a “complex, global problem” which required a global solution.

Equitable access to safe and effective vaccines was “essential” to the world’s response and recovery to the virus.

She said the virus had “exacerbated and further complicated” existing global challenges. Climate change was one of these and demanded action.