Our World-Struck by the Pandemic

OUR WORLD
Foreword
By Stella Kyriakides
European Commissioner
for Health
The COVID19 pandemic has been described by many,
including leading health experts, international organisations
and political leaders around the world, as the greatest
challenge humanity has faced since the Second World War and
as the greatest threat to global public health of our lifetime. It
has become a global health crisis that has transformed life as we
know it. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have
tragically lost their lives, leaving behind their families and loved
ones. Our healthcare systems have been put under extraordinary
pressure, and we pay tribute to our heroic frontline healthcare
workers, who put themselves at risk every day to save lives and
protect all of us. Our economies have suffered considerable losses,
jobs have been lost, and societies have been kept apart because
of social distancing.
At the onset of the crisis, it was thought that perhaps every
country could face their own challenges alone. However, it quickly
became apparent that this could not be the case. It is clear that to
deal with a multifaceted global crisis, it is necessary and of utmost
importance to have a global response, with communities, regions
and countries coming together at all levels as a united team, in
the spirit of resilience, togetherness, and above all, solidarity. In
the past few weeks, we have seen unprecedented cooperation
across the world to address the most pressing issues, including
supplies of essential equipment and medicines that our hospitals
require and exceptional economic support measures to mitigate
the impact of the pandemic on our economies and societies.
Now we stand at a critical phase of our common fight which
will require more global coordination and solidarity than ever.
We must jointly strive to support worldwide efforts to develop,
manufacture, equally distribute and ensure access to safe and
effective treatments and vaccines for all, especially the most
vulnerable countries and societies. To do so we will need to pool
resources and expertise from all stakeholders, both public and
private, in a joint effort for the public good.
On May 4, the EU called on all of them to demonstrate this spirit
of solidarity by contributing to a global pledge aimed at closing the
funding gaps necessary for the critical research needed to develop
a cure for the virus. This is how we will overcome the COVID-19
pandemic. This is the fight of our generation. We face it together
and we will rise to the occasion together. This is our fundamental
duty to our citizens.
OUR WORLD | MAY 2020
5