More than 20 world leaders including Romania’s Klaus Iohannis have written a letter calling for a new global settlement to help the world prepare for future pandemics.
The joint letter signed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others warned „nobody is safe until everyone is safe.”
Challenge
The 24 leaders said Covid posed the biggest challenge since World War II.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph and publications such as Le Monde in France and El Pais in Spain, the leaders argue that a treaty similar to the one reached after World War II, is needed to build cross-border cooperation.
The signatories included the head of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
However, China, Russia and the U.S. which have clashed numerous times during the pandemic, with accusations of propaganda and misinformation, were missing from the list.
Solidarity
The letter read: „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 cooperation, namely peace, prosperity, health and security.”
The leaders said that in the same spirit, countries must now „be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics in a highly coordinated fashion.”
Global community
„At a time when Covid-19 has exploited our weaknesses and divisions, we must seize this opportunity and come together as a global community for peaceful co-operation that extends beyond this crisis.”
A new treaty would help to establish better systems for alerting people about potential pandemics, they said, while also improving the sharing of data and distribution of vaccines and personal protective equipment.
„There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone. The question is not if, but when.
„The Covid-19 pandemic has been a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe.”
