Absent leadership from the United States, heads of state and global health leaders led by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday vowed to work together to accelerate the development and production of new vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19. The partners also pledged to assure equitable worldwide access to these new vaccines.
Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has forsaken its historic role as leader of the free world to push Trumpian nationalism, isolationism, and hostility towards globalism. On April 15, Trump suspended the United States' financial contribution to the WHO. He blamed WHO for its alleged mistakes in warning the world about COVID-19 in a blatant attempt to divert attention away from his mismanagement of the U.S. response to the pandemic.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were among the world leaders that took part in the pact and announced it to the world.
"The world needs these tools and needs them fast," said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the videoconferencing meeting. "We are facing a common threat which we can only defeat with a common approach."
Dr Tedros said the world will only halt COVID-19 through solidarity. He pointed out that countries, health partners, manufacturers, and the private sector must act together and ensure that the fruits of science and research can benefit everybody. He said work on this joint project has already started.
Since January, WHO has been working with researchers from hundreds of institutions to develop and test vaccines against COVID-19. WHO and its partners are also working to standardize assays and regulatory approaches on innovative trial designs and define criteria to prioritize vaccine candidates. WHO is also coordinating a global trial to assess the safety and efficacy of four therapeutics against COVID-19.
Dr. Tedros said the challenge is to accelerate and harmonize processes to ensure therapeutics can be brought to the billions of people in the world who need them.
Taking part in the historic virtual event co-hosted by WHO was the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Moussa Faki, the African Union Commission Chairperson, the G20 presidency now held by Saudi Arabia, and the heads of state of France, South Africa, Germany, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Italy, Rwanda, Norway, Spain, Malaysia and the UK (represented by the First Secretary of State).
These leaders were joined by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the GAVI-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, UNITAID, the Wellcome Trust, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC), the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA), the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers' Network (DCVMN), and the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA).
