UNITED NATIONS (AP) The coronavirus that has claimed nearly 1 million lives has underscored the failure of the United Nations to bring countries together to defeat it, prompting renewed calls to reform the world body so that it can meet challenges far different and more daunting than those it faced at its birth.

As U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week, The pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation a test we have essentially failed.

There is a disconnect between leadership and power, he said, warning that in the 21st centurys interconnected world, solidarity is self-interest, and if we fail to grasp that fact, everyone loses.

The first-ever virtual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly, highlighted increasing tensions among major powers, the growing inequality between rich and poor countries, and the escalating difficulty of getting the U.N.s 193 member nations to agree on major issues let alone unite on reforms.