What is global health crisis and how can we say that is it a global health crisis?

A global health crisis is a difficult situation that affects humans in one or more
geographic areas, from a particular country to spread in the entire planet. From the
word crisis itself, you will have an idea that this is a serious matter that every state
should be attentive of because this would generally have a significant impact in our
public health, livelihood and even the economy. Siguro by now, you would be able to
know its effect once a global health crisis would occur. Some of its effect is poverty,
economic recession, unemployment and many more.

If you’re familiar with WHO or the World Health Organization. They are the one assess
different public health emergencies as they provide recommended measures based on
their consistent process of risk verification and assessment.

First, they detect the disease through a legally binding mechanism for global
surveillance of international disease which is the IHR or International Health Regulation
followed by the coordination of countries as some countries needs assistance from
multilateral institution during serious disease event like the COVID-19. Evidently,
international trade, travel and tourism would be affected so further notice from the IHR
and World Health Organization would be given as they issue recommendation in
assessing and controlling the outbreak.

The public health emergency will be evaluated based on its seriousness and capacity
for international spread. And during this time, it is essential for countries to harmonize
from its response down to the global sharing of the epidemiological information of the
said disease until a permanent IHR review body would established to build continuity
within the IHR process.

Well for its severity, it can be measured by the number of people affected or the origin
of the disease itself and its feature like how fast does this spread, is it air borne, water
borne or not contagious at all.

Core obligations for Member States

– Notify WHO of public health emergencies of international concern.

– Respond to requests for verification of information regarding urgent national risks.

– Control urgent national public health risks that threaten to transmit disease to other Member States.

– Provide routine and emergent port of entry/embarkation inspection and control activities to prevent
international disease transmission.
– Apply the measures recommended by WHO during public health emergencies.
With this current crisis we are experiencing, which is the COVID-19 pandemic, how
does this affect the economy as a whole?

With the country's business, tourism and employment, COVID-19 brought a big change.
The impact of COVID-19 effectuated an unprecedented global recession which has
caused our economic performance to suffer serious damage. Due to the strict
precautionary measures and protocols set up by the government to alleviate the spread
of the virus, businesses were forced to reduce their operation, resulting to a reduction in
consumer mobility and the increase of unemployment rate in the Philippines due to the
incapacity of employers to pay their wages. Unemployment rose during the first
quarter of 2020 to 17.7 per cent, the highest rate since 2005, though
this eased to 10 per cent and 8.7 per cent in the second and third
quarters respectively.

In the first quarter, GDP contracted by 0.7 per cent — the first time it
went negative since 1998. The contraction persisted into the second
and third quarters, with GDP down by 16.9 per cent and 11.5 per cent
respectively compared to corresponding quarters in 2019.
In the Philippines, social distancing and lockdown policies are not well
nuanced. Contact tracing protocols have not improved as much as
testing and treating. There are also massive communication gaps in
policy: some government and police officials went unpunished for
violating protocols, while several people were arrested for not wearing
masks.
During the long lockdown, public transport was curtailed and intercity
travel prevented, disrupting domestic value chains. Even after the
lockdown began to ease in June, excessive permits were required and
rules were not uniformly implemented across locales.
what is your opinion about the current situation, Ms. Cimini?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a serious public health threat to nations
around the world, as effective antiviral therapeutics or vaccines are ALREADY
developed.

The primary goal in the COVID-19 pandemic is to limit transmission and define clinical
management that improves the cure rate and effectively reduces the overall mortality
rate. To achieve this goal, a complete understanding of all aspects of coronaviruses is
needed to prevent or lessen their threat to society in the future.

A thorough understanding of the epidemiology, pathophysiology and pandemic

response efforts to combat COVID-19 is an invaluable lesson to society providing a
protocol to fight future pandemics should they occur. Most importantly, scientific insights
gained in the fight against COVID-19 will provide the evidence needed to develop
vaccines and antiviral therapeutics that target viral entry, immune response and
activation, and clinical management of secondary complications associated with severe
infections.

First, the administration did not impose a travel ban immediately after the
first case in the Philippines was confirmed on January 30, 2020.
In the Philippines, COVID-19 was actually dealt lightly during the first month no because
becayse when NCR Albay 2nd dstrict representative proposed a lockdown of his region
well to also prevent the disease from spreading nationwide. This includes cosing the
Philippines expressway netqoek and also suspension of classess and work. President
Duterte had rejected this offer as he says it hampers the flow of basic commodities.

Well in my opinion with this case, it is a matter prioritizing the health of the citizen
knowing that there is this unprecendented health outbreak or crisis but it was not
handled properly by the government. Kasi they think na it would have a negative effect
maybe in the distribution of goods and the balance of the supply and demand in our
country but what they don’t know is problems will arise, which asusmably more bigger
than their concern during those time. Well we see its effect now diba.

On March 15, 2020 President Duterte announced a partial lockdown covering Metro
Manila. AN during this time if you remember, there was a confusion with the term used
since they call it community quarantine which is basically lockdown parin according the
President but they were afraid to call it lockdown because this might strike fear to the
citizen. Later on, this was made clear by the cabinet secretary Karlo Nograles as he
said that the term lockdown can lead to different interpretation. From this, the
government failed to show coordination as this situation leads to numerous mistakes or
minsterpretation of community quarantines. Not only that, the government also provided
double standard comments that later are being corrected nanaman. Some of them is
how DOG declared that the Philippines was flattening the curve which was deemed
incorrect by doctors and experts in the medical field.

The pandemic exploits the gaps and inequalities in health systems,

underscoring the importance of investing in health workers, health
infrastructure and systems to prevent, detect and respond to disease
outbreaks.
Strong health systems are the best prevention not only against outbreaks
and pandemics, but also against the multiple health threats people around
the world face every day.
In my opinion, if the virus was properly accepted or was manage properly during its
peak or during the time it reaches the Philippines, then we would be able to control it
and lessen its negative effect which includes the mortality rate, its effect on the
economic stability of country as well as the management of the health care system and
facilities in the different areas nationwide.

But for now since we already secure 2% of the vaccines then we would be able
progress. But this will also depends on the procurement plan of the government as it
assist the distribution of the said vaccines. Like how will they disseminate it what are the
protocols to be followed. Most importantly, the information of the vaccines containing its
risk, benefit and ofcourse the consent of the citizen to be vaccinized. These are some of
the measures that are currently being developed by our government for our future
vaccination and hopefully we would be to operate this efficiently.
How does it affect our country’s economy?
Getting the economy back on track will be difficult given that infections
continue to rise. As of 20 December 2020, there are over 459,000
cases. Nearly two-thirds of the infected are aged 15 to 44 years old,
while half of COVID-19 deaths are among those 65 and over. This
differs from eight months ago when about a third of infections were
among people aged 15 to 44 years old, and a quarter were elderly.

The 2021 government budget is funding its way out of the crisis
through continued improved infrastructure investments. But the
budget gives a lower spending priority to health and social welfare
over national defence and the maintenance of peace and order. The
government is also preparing to enact legislation to reduce corporate
taxes and rationalise incentives, but some economists warn about the
poor timing of the initiative, aside from weak state capacity to
implement such complex reform.

Despite varying views on the adequacy of the fiscal policy response,

there is unanimous agreement that a successful economic recovery
hinges on the proper management of the health crisis, which the
government is still struggling to achieve.

As we work on responding to this pandemic, we must also prepare for the

next one. Now is an opportunity to lay the foundations for resilient health
systems around the world.
Investments to strengthen health infrastructure and workforce are the only
way to avoid future global health crises like the one we are facing now.
If we learn anything from COVID-19, it must be that investing in health
now will save lives later.
Anong resolusyon ng gobyerno tungkol sa global crisis tulad ng Covid?

In a global health crisis such as the COVID-19, most countries have imposed a
lockdown, community quarantine, temporary business closures, and travel restrictions
or prohibitions. Which have a huge impact on businesses, tourism, and employment. To
resolve the decreasing economic performance in their respective countries each
country’s government enacted wide emergency measures from employee protection to
sizable financial stimulus and tax incentives.

The delivery of 600,000 doses Sinovac Biotech's vaccines, donated by

China, will arrive on Sunday, said Harry Roque, spokesman for President
Rodrigo Duterte. SEE MORE

The Philippines has ordered 25 million doses from Sinovac and was
supposed to receive its first batch on Feb 23. That was delayed emergency
use authorisation was only given this week.

Aside from Sinovac, 10,000 doses of a vaccine developed by China's

Sinopharm will arrive soon, under a "compassionate use" for Duterte's
security detail. Doses from AstraZeneca will arrive in March, Roque said.

"I have to admit, if we insisted on Western brands, we will still wait for its
arrival," he added.

Duterte, who has pursued warmer ties with China and has a strained
relationship with many Western countries, has previously said he wanted to
procure COVID-19 vaccines from China or Russia.

The government aims to vaccinated at least 60% of the country population in order to
achieve herd immunity but having a big archipelago as well as the national budget that
is merely enough, the government officials and workers admitted that it won’t be easy.

The effect and solutions of this health crisis we are currently facing will always fall on
the government's efficiency on how they address the situation and devise strict
implementation but without the cooperation of citizens, entrepreneurs, health workers,
this will not be achieved properly.
The European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO) share a
commitment to supporting vulnerable communities and countries around
the world. Standing together as a global community is particularly crucial
now, because we are all in this together as the disease knows no borders
and does not discriminate. As long as it affects some of us, none of us is
safe.
And yet, on current trends, more than 5 billion people will lack access to
essential health services by 2030 — including the ability to see a health
worker, access to essential medicines, and running water in hospitals.
Even when services are available, using them can mean financial ruin for
millions of people. These gaps don't only undermine the health of
individuals, families and communities; they also undermine global security
and economic growth

But too many countries spend too much of their health budget on managing
diseases in hospitals — where the costs are higher and the outcomes are
often worse — instead of promoting health and preventing disease at the
primary healthcare level.
The COVID-19 pandemic will eventually recede, but there can be no going
back to business as usual.
History will judge us not only on whether we got through this pandemic but
on the lessons we learned and the actions we took once it was over.
Marxists claim that while the COVID-19 pandemic served as the catalyst for
the current global crisis, it is capitalism which is to be blamed. And as the
pandemic unfolded last year, we did see different instances when political
and corporate interests were prioritized.
First, the administration did not impose a travel ban immediately after the
first case in the Philippines was confirmed on January 30, 2020. Second, the
influx of healthcare equipment such as body suits, gloves, face masks, and
face shields, and the acquisition of the Sinovac vaccine, whose efficacy rate
is very low, points to how China is favored politically and economically by
the administration.
The pandemic could be used by the administration to justify the need to
accommodate the interests of China, since the global superpower could help
us manage the pandemic and rebuild our economy in return. This increasing
dependence of the Philippines, and other developing countries, on China,
especially in the management of the pandemic, will further cement China’s
status as the leading neo-imperialist in the world.
As the Philippines slowly recovers from the pandemic, the influx of foreign
aid and the easing of foreign trade will also make the country more
vulnerable to neo-imperialism, which will lead to the country losing
sovereignty over its spaces, resources, and people.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly last year,
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lamented the
scandalously inequitable distribution of the first batch of
COVID-19 vaccines, where rich nations have reportedly
gobbled up as much as 80% of available approved vaccines.

The European Union, along with the Group of Seven

industrialized nations have quickly secured up to 3.1 billion
doses, initially leaving only 2% of available vaccines for the
Covax Facility, the universal vaccination initiative led by the
World Health Organization intended to supply developing
nations. That left the rest of the world's population fighting
for the remaining 18% of vaccines still up for grabs.

Without a doubt, the COVID pandemic has painfully laid bare

structural inequities in our global health infrastructure:
Indigent communities and racial minorities in the developed
world, as well as a majority of people in the world's poorest
nations, have borne the brunt of the crisis.

But what developing country leaders such as Duterte have

conveniently overlooked is the vital importance of proactive
leadership in times of crisis. By foolishly shunning Western
pharmaceutical companies until the last minute and naively
over-relying on vaccines from the likes of China and Russia,
Duterte has left the Philippines without quality vaccines until
mid-2021.
Asleep at the wheel, Duterte has effectively extended the
public health crisis that has ravaged the Philippine economy,
as neighboring countries have set about not only developing
their own vaccines but securing large doses from abroad. To
be fair, the pandemic crisis is unprecedented in living
memory, and nor is Duterte to blame for the decades of
underinvestment, corruption, chronic brain drain and
emaciated health care system he faced when he was sworn in.

And Duterte has encouraged people to wear face masks and

enforced strict social distancing measures throughout much of
the year. Still, it is hard to understate his disastrous
management of the COVID crisis.

Instead of ensuring competence and accountability in vital

state institutions, Duterte appointed half a dozen active and
former generals to oversee the country's public health policy,
and it was not until mid-March that he started to take the
crisis seriously. Then he pivoted to the other extreme,
imposing the longest and strictest lockdown on earth, with my
own Manila neighborhood ringed by military checkpoints.

But any gains from the lockdown were lost thanks to sloppy
contact tracing and delayed mass testing that resulted in one
of the worst COVID outbreaks in Asia. The lockdown also
triggered the country's worst economic performance on
record, with the Philippines' gross domestic product expected
to shrink by as much as 10% this year, the worst in the region
and a dramatic fall from almost 6% growth last year.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the

Philippines could suffer the worst growth decline in the world
over the next five years, while the British medical journal The
Lancet placed the Philippines in the bottom third of surveyed
nations in terms of its management of the COVID.

In response, Duterte insisted that vaccines are on the way and

that the country "will be back to normal" by December, while
refusing to relax economically devastating lockdowns. Betting
his hopes on two sources, China and Russia, when Moscow
announced that its Sputnik vaccine, which is yet to clear third-
phase human trials, Duterte even offered himself and his
country as laboratory specimens. And despite lingering doubts
over the reliability of Chinese vaccines, Duterte presented the
Asian powerhouse as a savior.

"Those of you who are asking [if vaccines by] China [are safe]:
I can say that China is a modern country and it has all the
wherewithal... [its] integrity is fully protected by its
achievements," said Duterte in a national address in October.

Curiously, the Filipino president, in contrast to neighboring

Indonesia, overlooked the development of joint production
schemes of COVID-19 vaccines with either China or Russia.
He also failed to secure early supplies from Chinese
companies, which have moved toward mass vaccination
throughout the Middle East and aim to export up to 500
million doses in coming months.

Duterte's biggest vaccine blunder, however, was his stubborn

refusal to secure effective vaccines from established
pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer through so-called
Advance Market Commitments mechanisms.

"You want us to make a reservation by depositing money, you

must be crazy," complained the Filipino president in
September, just as major pharmaceutical companies moved
toward regulatory approval. When Duterte tried to backtrack,
Pfizer was already celebrating its astonishing trial results and
had sealed massive supply deals with major nations.

The Philippines was only able to secure 2.6m doses of

AstraZeneca vaccines for delivery likely in mid-2021 thanks to
proactive members of the business community. But this will
not be nearly enough to supply a population of 100 million,
especially since 70% of a population needs to be vaccinated
before herd immunity advantages can kick in.

According to Duterte's vaccine czar, former military general

Carlito Galvez, it might take up to five years before the
Philippines vaccinates a majority of its population.
As a result of Duterte's chronic mismanagement, his country
not only faces dire economic and public heath crises for the
foreseeable future but will remain increasingly dependent on
covetous powers such as China, which will surely extract
maximum concessions from mendicant nations such as the
Philippines.

To paraphrase French diplomat Charles Maurice de

Talleyrand: this is worse than a crime, it is a blunder.
1. PANDEMICS
Simply put, pandemics are global disease outbreaks. Examples of pandemics
include HIV, influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola,
and other viral threats that reflect our vulnerability to widespread diseases –
many of which originate in animals.

Every year there are newly emerging pandemic threats that cannot be solved,
and diagnosing symptoms may only occur after an individual is already
infected. These issues must be cut off at the source by addressing important
areas like health education, responsible agricultural practices, and the issues
that cause viruses to spread.
5. NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes – these and other noncommunicable
diseases (NCDs) account for 70 percent of all deaths worldwide. They can be
attributed to genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors.

Education plays a role in the prevention of NCDs, helping populations

understand and change lifestyle factors such as poor diets, inactivity, tobacco
use, or alcohol consumption. But there is also a correlation between income
level and the prevalence of NCDs.

Nearly three-quarters of NCD-related deaths worldwide occur in low- and

middle-income countries. Reducing the number of NCDs globally means
reducing the factors that disproportionately arise in lower-income
communities.
OPPORTUNITIES TO INFLUENCE GLOBAL
HEALTH
The ever-growing list of global health issues can be overwhelming, but don’t
lose hope. There are motivated, passionate, and intelligent individuals working
toward solutions in organizations built on the idea that every individual and
every voice matters in the advancement of global health.

So how can you play a role? “Everyone can make a difference. Small
contributions quickly add up if enough people take up the cause,” Macpherson
asserts.

One suggestion is to expand your perspective on medicine by attending global

health speaking events, taking part in one of these organizations, or pursuing
an international education, particularly if you are a practicing MD or a
prospective medical student.
At the time of writing, five of the six most-affected countries are in Europe.
And yet, even as Europe is fighting to bring COVID-19 under control at
home, it is also playing a leading role in building global solidarity.
Even as we are physically distancing as individuals, we need to pull together
collectively as actors on the world stage.
To support the global response to COVID-19, the European Union and its
member states recently put forward a Team Europe package, which is
growing to be well over €23 billion ($25 billion). Of course, Team Europe
will be delivering parts of its response to the coronavirus pandemic with the
United Nations.
Like in so many crises, the most vulnerable suffer the most, and they must
be our focus. The EU is supporting the WHO Strategic Preparedness and
Response Plan with €30 million in new funding to strengthen emergency
preparedness and response in countries with weak health systems or which
are affected by humanitarian crises.
In addition, the European Commission, WHO, and partners from around
the globe have also teamed up to launch"The Access to COVID-19 Tools
Accelerator," to speed up the development, production and equitable
distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics for COVID-19, so
that all people have equitable access to these lifesaving products.
But our partnership extends well beyond the current crisis.
Read more: "Dr. Tedros" – The man at the helm of the WHO
The pandemic exploits the gaps and inequalities in health systems,
underscoring the importance of investing in health workers, health
infrastructure and systems to prevent, detect and respond to disease
outbreaks.
Strong health systems are the best prevention not only against outbreaks
and pandemics, but also against the multiple health threats people around
the world face every day.
And yet, on current trends, more than 5 billion people will lack access to
essential health services by 2030 — including the ability to see a health
worker, access to essential medicines, and running water in hospitals.

Jutta Urpilainen, the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships

Even when services are available, using them can mean financial ruin for
millions of people. These gaps don't only undermine the health of
individuals, families and communities; they also undermine global security
and economic growth.
Read more: Coronavirus in Africa: How deadly could COVID-19 become?
The world spends around US$7.5 trillion (€7 trillion) on health each year —
almost 10% of global GDP.
Be prepared
The COVID-19 crisis has affected more than 188 countries and regions
worldwide, causing large-scale loss of life and severe human suffering. The
crisis poses a major threat to the global economy, with drops in activity,
employment, and consumption worse than those seen during the 2008
financial crisis. COVID-19 has also exposed weaknesses in our health
systems that must be addressed. How?

For a start, greater investment in population health would make people,

particularly vulnerable population groups, more resilient to health risks. The
health and socio-economic consequences of the virus are felt more acutely
among disadvantaged populations, stretching a social fabric already
challenged by high levels of inequalities. The crisis demonstrates the
consequences of poor investment in addressing wider social determinants of
health, including poverty, low education and unhealthy lifestyles. Despite
much talk of the importance of health promotion, even across the richer
OECD countries barely 3% of total health spending is devoted to prevention.
Building resilience for populations also requires a greater focus on solidarity
and redistribution in social protection systems to address underlying structural
inequalities and poverty.

Beyond creating greater resilience in populations, health systems must be

strengthened.

High-quality universal health coverage (UHC) is paramount. High levels of

household out-of-pocket payments for health goods and services deter people
from seeking early diagnosis and treatment at the very moment they need it
most. Facing the COVID-19 crisis, many countries have strengthened access
to health care, including coverage for diagnostic testing. Yet others do not
have strong UHC arrangements. The pandemic reinforced the importance of
commitments made in international fora, such as the 2019 High-Level Meeting
on Universal Health Coverage, that well-functioning health systems require a
deliberate focus on high-quality UHC. Such systems protect people from
health threats, impoverishing health spending, and unexpected surges in
demand for care.

Second, primary and elder care must be reinforced. COVID-19 presents a

double threat for people with chronic conditions. Not only are they at greater
risk of severe complications and death due to COVID-19; but also the crisis
creates unintended health harm if they forgo usual care, whether because of
disruption in services, fear of infections, or worries about burdening the health
system. Strong primary health care maintains care continuity for these groups.
With some 94% of deaths caused by COVID-19 among people aged over
60 in high-income countries, the elder care sector is also particularly
vulnerable, calling for efforts to enhance control of infections, support and
protect care workers and better coordinate medical and social care for frail
elderly.

Third, the crisis demonstrates the importance of equipping health systems

with both reserve capacity and agility. There is an historic underinvestment in
the health workforce, with estimated global shortages of 18 million health
professionals worldwide, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Beyond
sheer numbers, rigid health labour markets make it difficult to respond rapidly
to demand and supply shocks. One way to address this is by creating a
“reserve army” of health professionals that can be quickly mobilised. Some
countries have allowed medical students in their last year of training to start
working immediately, fast-tracked licenses and provided exceptional training.
Others have mobilised pharmacists and care assistants. Storing a reserve
capacity of supplies such as personal protection equipment, and maintaining
care beds that can be quickly transformed into critical care beds, is similarly
important.

Fourth, stronger health data systems are needed. The crisis has accelerated
innovative digital solutions and uses of digital data, smartphone applications
to monitor quarantine, robotic devices, and artificial intelligence to track the
virus and predict where it may appear next. Access to telemedicine has been
made easier. Yet more can be done to leverage standardised national
electronic health records to extract routine data for real-time disease
surveillance, clinical trials, and health system management. Barriers to full
deployment of telemedicine, the lack of real-time data, of interoperable clinical
record data, of data linkage capability and sharing within health and with other
sectors remain to be addressed.

Fifth, an effective vaccine and successful vaccination of populations around

the globe will provide the only real exit strategy. Success is not guaranteed
and there are many policy issues yet to be resolved. International cooperation
is vital. Multilateral commitments to pay for successful candidates would give
manufacturers certainty so that they can scale production and have vaccine
doses ready as quickly as possible following marketing authorisation, but
could also help ensure that vaccines go first to where they are most effective
in ending the pandemic. Whilst leaders face political pressure to put the health
of their citizens first, it is more effective to allocate vaccines based on need.
More support is needed for multilateral access mechanisms that contain
licensing commitments and ensure that intellectual property is no barrier to
access, commitments to technology transfer for local production, and
allocation of scarce doses based on need.
The pandemic offers huge opportunities to learn lessons for health system
preparedness and resilience. Greater focus on anticipating responses,
solidarity within and across countries, agility in managing responses, and
renewed efforts for collaborative actions will be a better normal for the future.

Our healthy future cannot be achieved without putting the health and
wellbeing of populations at the centre of public policy.

Ill health worsens an individual’s economic prospects throughout the lifecycle.

For young infants and children, ill health affects their capacity to acumulate
human capital; for adults, ill health lowers quality of life and labour market
outcomes, and disadvantage compounds over the course of a lifetime.

And, yet, with all the robust evidence available that good health is beneficial to
economies and societies, it is striking to see how health systems across the
globe struggled to maximise the health of populations even before the COVID-
19 pandemic – a crisis that has further exposed the stresses and weaknesses
of our health systems. These must be addressed to make populations
healthier and more resilient to future shocks.

Each one of us, at least once in our lives, is likely to have been frustrated with
care that was inflexible, impersonal and bureaucratic. At the system level,
these individual experiences add up to poor safety, poor care coordination
and inefficiencies – costing millions of lives and enormous expense to
societies.

This state of affairs contributes to slowing down the progress towards

achieving the sustainable development goals to which all societies, regardless
of their level of economic development, have committed.

Many of the conditions that can make change possible are in place. For
example, ample evidence exists that investing in public health and primary
prevention delivers significant health and economic dividends. Likewise,
digital technology has made many services and products across different
sectors safe, fast and seamless. There is no reason why, with the right
policies, this should not happen in health systems as well. Think, for example,
of the opportunities to bring high quality and specialised care to previously
underserved populations. COVID-19 has accelerated the development and
use of digital health technologies. There are opportunities to further nurture
their use to improve public health and disease surveillance, clinical care,
research and innovation.

To encourage reform towards health systems that are more resilient, better
centred around what people need and sustainable over time, the Global
Future Council on Health and Health Care has developed a series of stories
illustrating why change must happen, and why this is eminently possible
today. While the COVID-19 crisis is severally challenging health systems
today, our healthy future is – with the right investments – within reach.
19 March 2020 - We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-
year history of the United Nations — one that is spreading human
suffering, infecting the global economy and upending people’s lives.

A global recession – perhaps of record dimensions – is a near certainty.

The International Labour Organization has just reported that workers

around the world could lose as much as 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars in income
by the end of this year.

This is, above all, a human crisis that calls for solidarity.

Our human family is stressed and the social fabric is being torn. People
are suffering, sick and scared.

Current responses at the country level will not address the global scale
and complexity of the crisis.

This is a moment that demands coordinated, decisive, and innovative

policy action from the world’s leading economies. We must recognize
that the poorest countries and most vulnerable — especially women —
will be the hardest hit.

I welcome the decision by G20 leaders to convene an emergency summit

next week to respond to the epic challenges posed by the COVID-19
pandemic – and I look forward to taking part.

My central message is clear: We are in an unprecedented situation and

the normal rules no longer apply. We cannot resort to the usual tools in
such unusual times.

The creativity of the response must match the unique nature of the crisis –
and the magnitude of the response must match its scale.

Our world faces a common enemy. We are at war with a virus.

COVID-19 is killing people, as well as attacking the real economy at its

core – trade, supply chains, businesses, jobs. Entire countries and cities
are in lockdown. Borders are closing. Companies are struggling to stay
in business and families are simply struggling to stay afloat.
In managing this crisis, we also have a unique opportunity.

Done right, we can steer the recovery toward a more sustainable and
inclusive path. But poorly coordinated policies risk locking in -- or even
worsening -- already unsustainable inequalities, reversing hard-won
development gains and poverty reduction.

I call on world leaders to come together and offer an urgent and

coordinated response to this global crisis.

I see three critical areas for action:

First, tackling the health emergency.

Many countries have exceeded the capacity to care for even mild cases in
dedicated health facilities, with many unable to respond to the enormous
needs of the elderly.

Even in the wealthiest countries, we see health systems buckling under

pressure.

Health spending must be scaled up right away to meet urgent needs and
the surge in demand -- expanding testing, bolstering facilities, supporting
health care workers, and ensuring adequate supplies – with full respect for
human rights and without stigma.

It has been proven that the virus can be contained. It must be contained.

If we let the virus spread like wildfire – especially in the most vulnerable
regions of the world -- it would kill millions of people.

And we need to immediately move away from a situation where each

country is undertaking its own health strategies to one that ensures, in full
transparency, a coordinated global response, including helping countries
that are less prepared to tackle the crisis.

Governments must give the strongest support to the multilateral effort to

fight the virus, led by the World Health Organization, whose appeals must
be fully met.
The health catastrophe makes clear that we are only as strong as the
weakest health system.

Global solidarity is not only a moral imperative, it is in everyone’s interests.

Second, we must focus on the social impact and the economic response and
recovery.

Unlike the 2008 financial crisis, injecting capital in the financial sector
alone is not the answer. This is not a banking crisis – indeed banks must
be part of the solution.

And it is not an ordinary shock in supply and demand; it is a shock to

society as a whole.

The liquidity of the financial system must be guaranteed, and banks must
use their resilience to support their customers.

Let’s not forget this is essentially a human crisis.

Most fundamentally, we need to focus on people -- the most vulnerable,

low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises.

That means wage support, insurance, social protection, preventing

bankruptcies and job loss.

That also means designing fiscal and monetary responses to ensure that
the burden does not fall on those who can least afford it.

The recovery must not come on the backs of the poorest – and we cannot
create a legion of new poor.

We need to get resources directly in the hands of people. A number of

countries are taking up social protection initiatives such as cash transfers
and universal income.

We need to take it to the next level to ensure support reaches those

entirely dependent on the informal economy and countries less able to
respond.

Remittances are a lifeline in the developing world – especially now.

Countries have already committed to reduce remittance fees to 3 percent,
much below the current average levels. The crisis requires us to go
further, getting as close to zero as possible.

In addition, G20 leaders have taken steps to protect their own citizens and
economies by waiving interest payments. We must apply that same logic
to the most vulnerable countries in our global village and alleviate their
debt burden.

Across the board, we need a commitment to ensure adequate financial

facilities to support countries in difficulties. The IMF, the World Bank and
other International Financial Institutions play a key role.

And we must refrain from the temptation of resorting to protectionism.

This is the time to dismantle trade barriers and re-establish supply chains.

Looking at the broader picture, disruptions to society are having a

profound impact.

We must address the effects of this crisis on women. The world’s women
are disproportionally carrying the burden at home and in the wider
economy.

Children are also paying a heavy price. More than 800 million children
are out of school right now — many of whom rely on school to provide
their only meal. We must ensure that all children have access to food and
equal access to learning – bridging the digital divide and reducing the
costs of connectivity.

As people’s lives are disrupted, isolated and upturned, we must prevent

this pandemic from turning into a crisis of mental health. Young people
will be most at risk.

The world needs to keep going with core support to programs for the most
vulnerable, including through UN-coordinated humanitarian and refugee
response plans. Humanitarian needs must not be sacrificed.
Third, and finally, we have a responsibility to "recover better."

The 2008 financial crisis demonstrated clearly that countries with robust
social protection systems suffered the least and recovered most quickly
from its impact.
We must ensure that lessons are learned and that this crisis provides a
watershed moment for health emergency preparedness and for
investment in critical 21st century public services and the effective delivery
of global public goods.

We have a framework for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable

Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We must
keep our promises for people and planet.

The United Nations – and our global network of country offices -- will
support all governments to ensure that the global economy and the
people we serve emerge stronger from this crisis.

That is the logic of the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable

Development Goals.

More than ever before, we need solidarity, hope and the political will to
see this crisis through together.

The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health

crisis of our time and the greatest challenge we have faced since
World War Two. Since its emergence in Asia in 2019, the virus has
spread to every continent except Antarctica.

We have now reached the tragic milestone of more than two million
deaths, and the human family is suffering under an almost
intolerable burden of loss.

“The climbing death toll is staggering, and we must work together to

slow the spread of this virus.” - UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

But the pandemic is much more than a health crisis, it's also an
unprecedented socio-economic crisis. Stressing every one of the
countries it touches, it has the potential to create devastating social,
economic and political effects that will leave deep and longstanding
scars. UNDP is the technical lead in the UN’s socio-economic
recovery, alongside the health response, led by WHO, and the
Global Humanitarian Response Plan, and working under the
leadership of the UN Resident Coordinators.
Every day, people are losing jobs and income, with no way of
knowing when normality will return. Small island nations, heavily
dependent on tourism, have empty hotels and deserted
beaches. The International Labour Organization estimates that 400
million jobs could be lost.

The World Bank projects a US$110 billion decline in remittances

this year, which could mean 800 million people will not be able to
meet their basic needs.