Paris, (Samajweekly) The world needs a global, coordinated and united response to effectively fight the coronavirus pandemic, said French President Emmanuel Macron when addressing the Group of 20 (G20) Riyadh Summit.
“The DNA of the G20 is to urgently forge effective multilateral solutions to crises,” said Macron at the summit, adding that the current sanitary crisis is a test for the G20 and only a global response would be efficient in addressing the crisis.
He stressed that “the universal access to health technologies against Covid-19” is the next fight to be carried out, Xinhua reported.
“We need to avoid at all costs a scenario of a two-speed world where only the richer can protect themselves against the virus and resume normalcy,” he said.
Regarding access to the vaccine, the French president suggested the creation of a donation system for the vaccination of priority populations in developing countries.
“In times of health emergency we must promote industrial partnerships and production with developing countries,” he added. “Promote research and production capacities for health technologies, including in Africa, constitutes our best protection against future pandemics.”
The G20 groups the world’s major economies whose combined GDP accounts for over 85 percent of the world’s total.
They are widely expected to take more initiatives through closer cooperation to address the pandemic and its lasting and far-reaching impact on the world economy.