UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has joined other world leaders in authoring an article regarding nations coming together to address the threat of pandemics.
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has been felt in virtually every part of the world over the last year and more than 2.79 million people have lost their lives to the deadly virus.
In a new letter, world leaders have expressed a desire to “work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response”. In the letter, world leaders describe the coronavirus pandemic as the “biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s”. The letter reads;
“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.”
Notably, it is added, “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. Together, we must be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics in a highly co-ordinated fashion. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe.”
Boris Johnson and 23 other world leaders have signed the letter, which has been printed in newspapers around the world.
At times in the current pandemic, there has been criticism for countries not working together enough to tackle the pandemic. Public disagreements over the distribution of vaccines in recent times have also raised concerns.
The goal of the new treaty being sought by the signatories of the letter would be to strengthen national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics while enhancing international co-operation.
