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In a recent report, an independent body created by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), claims that the coronavirus pandemic revealed how little the world was prepared for this type. disaster, scientists notwithstanding. It had long ago provided considerable evidence that outbreaks of this magnitude were imminent, and politicians were aware of this information.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is an unfortunate test of global preparedness,” the report concludes that, compared to the previous report published last year, even before the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been very little progress in preparing for a pandemic.
“The inability to learn or respond to the lessons of COVID-19 with adequate resources and care means that another pandemic, which is also inevitable, will hit even harder,” the report warns.
One of the GPMB leaders, former WHO chief Gro Harlem Brundtland, highlighted during a virtual presentation of the report that the council had warned a year ago that the world was ill-prepared for a pandemic.
“Tragically and catastrophically, we have seen our greatest fears come true. The impact of COVID-19 is even worse than we expected, but the action we called for a year ago has not been taken so far,” he said.
The report was distributed by experts at a time when the number of coronavirus victims worldwide is approaching one million and the number of positive diagnoses is approaching 30 million.
Panic and denial
GHBrundtland, who is also the former Prime Minister of Norway, has said that the time has come to “break the cycle of panic and denial” which is now feeling the catastrophic consequences of COVID-19.
Therefore, with its report, the GPMB reiterates its call to all countries of the world to cooperate and commit to significant long-term funding for pandemic preparedness and prevention programs.
The experts called on the UN, the WHO and global financial institutions, such as the World Bank, to convene a meeting of heads of state to address health threats, with the aim of reaching an agreement on international standards and legal frameworks. to prepare for such threats.
According to GHBrundtland, this legal basis should include, among other things, mechanisms to ensure continuous, sustainable and predictable funding at the required level.
“The return on investment in preparing for a pandemic is enormous. Forecasts suggest that the cost of preventing and preparing for a pandemic would run into the billions, while the cost of a full-blown pandemic would be in the trillions.” said the former Norwegian prime minister.
The current head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, endorsed the report’s findings, adding that “spending on health and preparedness is not charity. It is an investment in our future. “
According to him, avoiding investing in preparation “is like waiting for the plane to crash, after which several safety inspections will be called. It’s like waiting for the whole city to burn down and then deciding that a fire service is needed. “
TAGhebreyesus emphasized that COVID-19 “will not be the last pandemic or the last global health emergency.” “Every day we sit idle is a day that brings us closer to another global emergency, be it due to a disease outbreak, climate change, or a natural or man-made disaster. We don’t know what the next health emergency will be. world, but we know it will happen and we must be prepared for it, “he said.
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