The meeting also represented a symbolic endorsement of the United Nations body in the face of Trump’s decision to suspend US payments and condemn its leaders as subordinates of the Chinese Communist party. China and the US have accused each other of bullying and disinformation over the coronavirus outbreak, damaging efforts to secure cooperation at the G20, the natural international institution to handle global health outside the UN. The hunt for a coronavirus vaccine – a perilous and uncertain path. Instead an ad hoc grouping of 20 world leaders and global health figures were on the call, including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the American philanthropist Bill Gates. Britain will co-chair a joint coronavirus global response summit on 4 May aimed at raising funds for vaccine research, treatments and tests.
Macron told the meeting: “We will continue now to mobilise all G7 and G20 countries so they get behind this initiative. And I hope we will be able to reconcile around this joint initiative both China and the US, because this is about saying the fight against Covid-19 is a common human good and there should be no division in order to win this battle.”
The WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “We are facing a common threat that we can only defeat with a common approach. Experience has told us that even when tools are available they have not been equally available to all. We cannot allow that to happen.” More than 100 potential vaccines are being developed, including six already in clinical trials, according to Seth Berkley, the chief executive of the Gavi vaccine alliance, a public-private partnership that leads immunisation campaigns in poor countries. -Full Report
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced the launch of army Operation Resilience to provide support in the fight against Covid-19 along with 'massive investments' in the country's public health system as France’s coronavirus death toll rose to 1,331 with 25,233 confirmed cases.
Virtual launch of a landmark collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19. The aim of this new collaboration is to make vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19 accessible to everyone who needs them, worldwide.
The launch of the new collaboration is being co-hosted by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The virtual event included senior United Nations, government and public health and industry leaders from around the world.
The launch of the new collaboration is being co-hosted by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The virtual event included senior United Nations, government and public health and industry leaders from around the world.
