The World Health Organization‘s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, addressed Heads of State at an extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit on COVID-19. He applauded the G20’s initiative to identify common ground and collaborate: “This is a global situation that necessitates global action.”
“Fight, unite, and ignite” is the motto.
The call from Dr Tedros was unmistakable. First, he asked leaders to fight without excuses or regrets, thanking countries who had previously taken efforts but urging them to go further. Second, he urged them to unify, emphasizing that no country can fight this alone and urging all countries to build on the solidarity that the crisis has already created.
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Third, he urged them to start a global effort to make sure something like this never happens again. He praised G20 leaders’ dedication to “do whatever it takes to counteract the pandemic” to help shield lives and livelihoods, and also restore faith and stability in trade and other sectors currently under threat, and to devote to take all essential health initiatives and pursue sufficient funds to contain the global epidemic and protect citizens, especially the most susceptible. The G20 pledged to support and strengthen WHO’s mission in response coordination, as well as to fully fund WHO’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan.
G20 countries agreed to work together to expand vaccine and medicine research and development funding, strengthen international scientific cooperation, and take advantage of digital technology. They then entrusted WHO and other relevant agencies with identifying gaps in pandemic readiness and reporting the findings to the G20 Finance and Health Ministers to launch a joint global initiative on pandemic preparedness and response. The WHO’s global goals are to help every country vaccinate at least 10% of its population by the end of this month, 40% by the end of the year, and 70% by the middle of next year.
