World leaders said in a joint letter on Tuesday that the world needs a worldwide settlement to protect countries in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, comparable to the one that produced World War II.
The pandemic had been “a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe,” according to the letter, which came following a G7 health ministers meeting on Monday.
World Leaders Urged to Prepare Against Future Pandemics
An article published by various newspapers around the world, including The Telegraph, signed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and 21 other world leaders called for an end to isolationism and nationalism in favour of a new era of solidarity, the Philippine News Agency reported.
The call was made by 24 world leaders, including Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s,” it said.
The letter expressed: “At that time, following the devastation of two world wars, political leaders came together to forge the multilateral system. The aims were clear – to bring countries together, to dispel the temptations of isolationism and nationalism and to address the challenges that could only be achieved together in the spirit of solidarity and co-operation, namely peace, prosperity, health and security.”
“Today we hold the same hope that, as we fight to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic together, we can build a more robust international health architecture that will protect future generations,” it added.
It went on to say that a pandemic treaty “should lead to more mutual accountability and shared responsibility, transparency, and cooperation within the international system and with its rules and norms.”
According to the letter, the major purpose of this treaty is to “foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional, and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics.”
“This includes greatly enhancing international co-operation to improve, for example, alert systems, data-sharing, research and local, regional and global production and distribution of medical and public health countermeasures such as vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment,” it added.
All countries must use the chance to “come together as a global community for peaceful co-operation that extends beyond this crisis,” according to the leaders.
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