Work Together, and We Will Surely Defeat COVID-19!
—— G20 Videoconference Gathered World Leaders Coping with COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (hereinafter referred to as COVID-19) has been raging the world for some time, triggering global crises in various areas ranging from public health to economic and trade, and sending the international community almost into collective paralysis. On March 26, 2020, under the auspices of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), the leaders of the Group of 20 held an emergency summit to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been the first videoconference ever in G20 history convening all of the leaders and also the highest-level multilateral meeting of the world powers since the outbreak of COVID-19. Over the course of two hours, the heads of state and representatives of international organizations spoke one after another, jointly sending out positive signals of solidarity in responding to the challenges of the pandemic and maintaining the world’s economic stability. The "Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit Statement on COVID-19" was released following the summit, and in the Statement a number of countermeasures were proposed in four aspects: fighting the pandemic, safeguarding the global economy, addressing international trade disruptions, and enhancing global cooperation.
Excerpts from the speech by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia
We reaffirm our full support for the World Health Organization in coordinating the efforts to counter this pandemic. To complement these efforts, the G20 must assume the responsibility of reinforcing cooperation in financing research and development for therapeutics and a vaccine for COVID-19 and ensure the availability of the vital medical supplies and equipment. We must also strengthen the global preparedness to counter infectious diseases that may spread in the future.
Excerpts from the "Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit Statement on COVID-19"
The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic is a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness and vulnerabilities. The virus respects no borders. Combatting this pandemic calls for a transparent, robust, coordinated, large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity. We are strongly committed to presenting a united front against this common threat.
We ask the WHO, in cooperation with relevant organizations, to assess gaps in pandemic preparedness and report to a joint meeting of Finance and Health Ministers in the coming months, with a view to establish a global initiative on pandemic preparedness and response. This initiative will capitalize on existing programs to align priorities in global preparedness and act as a universal, efficient, sustained funding and coordination platform to accelerate the development and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments.
We express our readiness to convene again as the situation requires. Global action, solidarity and international cooperation are more than ever necessary to address this pandemic. We are confident that, working closely together, we will overcome this. We will protect human life, restore global economic stability, and lay out solid foundations for strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
Editor's note
G20 Videoconference Gathered World Leaders Coping with COVID-19
In the face of this rare global disaster, the G20 issued an appeal to the world to unite to fight the pandemic! Only unity can make us win!
How to unite? What is victory? Obviously, it is far from enough to mobilize global medical resources to save lives and help the wounded, and to raise funds to alleviate urgent needs. We must conduct a profound and panoramic reflection and planning. A few days ago, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown summoned up 165 world leaders and scholars from around the world, including 92 former Presidents and Prime Minsters, to write an open letter to G20 Governments, where global coordination was strongly suggested to be taken to tackle the public health and economic emergencies caused by COVID-19 in the next few days.
Decisions made by governments and multilateral international organizations in the coming weeks or months will likely have a profound impact on the direction of the development of human societies in the long run. Of course, we must find ways to conquer COVID-19 in the shortest time, and more importantly, we should ask ourselves, after this disaster, where our world will go.