United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about the rise of violence against Asians and people of Asian descent during the COVID-19 pandemic, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

"The world has witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying in schools, workplace discrimination, incitement to hatred in the media and on social media platforms, and incendiary language by those in positions of power," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.

"In some countries, Asian women have been specifically targeted for attack, adding misogyny to the toxic mix of hatred," he said.

The remark comes after a shooting in Atlanta left eight people dead, six of them Asian-American women, and many other cases of street attacks.