For greater than two years, international locations of the world have labored collectively in the direction of one historic and generational purpose – to make sure we’re higher ready for the subsequent pandemic by studying classes from the devastation brought on by COVID-19.
At a time when conflicts, politics and economics have wrought destruction, discord and division, sovereign governments have discovered a solution to work collaboratively to forge a brand new world settlement to guard the world from inevitable future pandemic emergencies.
This important effort, being pushed by lots of of negotiators tasked by over 190 nations, was launched in the midst of probably the most devastating occasion in our lifetimes.
Based mostly on official counts, COVID-19 left greater than 7 million lifeless. However the actual demise toll is probably going a lot larger. The coronavirus pandemic additionally wiped billions, if not trillions, from the worldwide financial system. Social upheaval – from job losses to highschool closures – scarred communities worldwide.
On the peak of this catastrophe, with hospitals all over the world crowded with sufferers being cared for by overstretched well being staff, greater than two dozen world leaders got here collectively to concern a worldwide name for unity.
They mentioned the world mustn’t ever once more be left so weak to a different pandemic. They concurred that governments mustn’t ever once more fail to cooperate in sharing important data, medical tools and medicines. And so they burdened that by no means once more can the world’s poorest international locations and communities be left on the finish of the queue on the subject of entry to life-saving instruments like vaccines.
Fairness, we mentioned then, and proceed to say now, should be our guiding mild.
What was wanted, the presidents and prime ministers mentioned then, was a historic compact that commits international locations to work collectively, throughout frontiers, recognising that lethal viruses don’t respect the borders, don’t see race, and don’t recognise wealth.
This spurred a call, by the 194 Member States of the World Well being Group, to undertake two landmark, parallel efforts: to begin negotiating a first-ever pandemic settlement to forestall, put together for and reply to pandemics, whereas on the identical time making a collection of focused amendments to the prevailing Worldwide Well being Laws, the worldwide playbook which international locations use to detect, alert and reply to public well being emergencies.
These efforts had been launched throughout a time when social and political division and polarisation had been creating seemingly impenetrable limitations between many international locations.
However fairly than succumb to geopolitical pressures, these government-led efforts have introduced nations collectively to make the world safer from the subsequent pandemic.
The outcomes of those important negotiations are scheduled to be thought-about on the 77th World Well being Meeting that can open in Geneva on Might 27.
With the ending line so shut, the stakes going through the world have by no means been larger. Key points stay to be resolved, above all, how the pandemic settlement will guarantee fairness for all international locations on the subject of making them prepared to forestall or reply to the subsequent pandemic.
“Operationalising” fairness has been a daily chorus throughout the talks.
This entails guaranteeing international locations have assured real-time entry to the capacities wanted to guard their well being staff and communities from a pandemic risk, in order that we don’t see a repeat of the inequities in entry to vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, private protecting tools and different important instruments.
Operationalising fairness can also be about ensuring all international locations have sturdy well being methods which are ready to reply to future pandemics, wherever they might emerge.
World well being safety relies on guaranteeing there aren’t any weak hyperlinks within the chain of defence towards pathogens with pandemic potential. World well being fairness is vital to making sure that each hyperlink within the chain is robust.
All of this requires collaboration between international locations to share what is required, from pathogens and diagnostics, to data and assets. And this may be secured provided that political management focuses on world cooperation, not slender nationalism.
The pandemic settlement gives the muse on which to construct the world’s future collaborative strategy to forestall the subsequent pandemic risk.
It’s not a chunk of paper. At its coronary heart, it’s a life-saving instrument that can set out how international locations will have interaction with one another to guard their populations, strengthen public well being and keep away from pointless disruptions to societies and economies.
At a time of such world friction and pressure, I salute all efforts by the worldwide group to understand this distinctive alternative to make the world safer from pandemics. The burden of this shared accountability is matched by the advantages {that a} sturdy settlement will present for the well being and safety of all.
The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.