The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the world in unprecedented ways. The World Health Organization (WHO) has made repeated calls for solidarity to defeat it, urging the global community to work together in recognition of our shared risks.
Only though collective participation and action, driven by the principles of equity, will the pandemic be over for everyone everywhere. Recent events, including the Global Health Summit in May and the G7 Summit in June, have shown the lack of political commitment to global solidarity among the world’s leaders.
The Centre for Universal Health and the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House have undertaken research to examine how the world responded to the calls for global solidarity and produced a research paper culminating in key lessons for the global community to consider, to foster and embed solidarity norms within existing and future structures. Many decisions and calls to action based on solidarity are still needed in order to equitably address this crisis and better prepare for the next.
The event chair will frame the discussion in terms of the recommendations emerging from the Chatham House research paper, the IPPR report and the G7 Summit agreements, and invite comments from panellists and webinar attendees.
Participants
Mirai Chatterjee, Director of Social Security, Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), India
Professor Keizo Takemi, Goodwill Ambassador for Universal Health Coverage, World Health Organization
Mariangela Simao, Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals, World Health Organization
Professor David Heymann, Distinguished Fellow, Global Health Programme, Chatham House
Chair: Rob Yates, Director, Global Health Programme; Executive Director, Centre for Universal Health
