Major countries can take lead in improving global health governance
Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-22 11:19:35|Editor: huaxia
World leaders agreed at a virtual summit on Friday to improve global public health governance by stepping up coordination, a move injecting fresh confidence as well as impetus into the world's collective efforts to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, the invisible enemy is still wreaking havoc across the world. On top of that, the coronavirus variants in different regions are making the war harder to fight. How to win the battle?
The Rome Declaration released after the virtually-held Global Health Summit sketched out the answer by emphasizing global solidarity and laying out priorities.
Major countries like the Group of 20 (G20) members have a bigger population with greater economic might. It is thus their inescapable responsibility to play a leading role in not only responding to the grave health crisis, but improving global health governance for future generations.
Lessons drawn from the anti-pandemic battle have in the first place underscored the importance of putting people's lives and health front and center, following the laws of science and adopting a systemic response.
Furthermore, the world should reject any attempt to politicize, label or stigmatize the pandemic, which only harms the badly needed global solidarity and disrupts the joint fight against the virus.
Given the cunningness of the pathogen, it is vital for the human race to build a global community of health for all by promoting synergy. That starts with the work of vaccinating as many people worldwide as possible.
At present, the problem of uneven vaccination is acute. "The shocking global disparity in access to vaccines remains one of the biggest risks to ending the pandemic," said Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
At the summit, world leaders pledged to promote vaccine production, increase vaccine supplies to vulnerable nations and support the vaccine-sharing program co-led by the WHO.
To build a firm defense against COVID-19, the international community should reject vaccine nationalism, promote a fair and just distribution of vaccines, and guarantee necessary doses for vulnerable countries, especially their frontline workers.
In addition to strengthening the weak links, stronger countries can play bigger roles in the arduous fight.
China has actively engaged in global anti-virus cooperation as well as effort to improve global public health governance.
China's decisive measures at home have brought the outbreak under control in a surprisingly short period, thus having bought time for the rest of the world. So far, China has provided vaccine assistance to more than 80 countries and three international organizations, and exported vaccines to over 40 nations in need.
To ease the economic burden of poor countries, China has pledged to fully implement the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. It has also pledged to expand cooperation with other countries in infectious disease control, public health, traditional medicine and other areas to improve the public health system.
COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic to challenge humanity. Hence, it is important to strengthen the role of multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the WHO and build an effective global health governance mechanism.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at the virtual meeting, G20 members should shoulder responsibilities in global cooperation against the virus, draw on experiences both positive and otherwise, and lose no time in remedying deficiencies, closing loopholes and strengthening weak links in a bid to enhance preparedness and capacity for coping with major public health emergencies.
The fight against the pandemic is now at a critical moment. Major countries must take the lead, not just in defeating the virus itself, but also in laying the foundation for a more resilient global health system that can protect the health of future generations.
