Six years after COVID-19 forced the U.N. General Assembly ‘s annual meeting of world leaders to go virtual for the first time ever, pandemics no longer dominate the conversation at the global gathering.
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pandemics → force → gathering
Wars, natural disasters, geopolitical polarization and this year’s hot-button worry — artificial intelligence — have seized attention.
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Wars → seize → attention
But the General Assembly’s leader and health officials sought Friday to make sure that the lurking possibility of another worldwide disease emergency stays on the agenda.
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possibility → seek → agenda
COVID—19 sometimes “feels like a fever dream” of lockdowns, overwhelmed hospitals, shuttered schools, economic disruption, personal tragedies and Zoom calls, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said as he opened a day-long meeting on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.
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he → feel → preparedness
He recalled his own sleepless nights when his daughter, a physician, treated coronavirus patients during the crisis.
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daughter → recall → crisis
“Sometimes it is easier to pretend that it never happened,” Rahman said, but “we cannot erase COVID-19 from our memories.
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we → pretend → memories
We have to take a hard look at that period, at where we succeeded and where we failed.
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we → have → period
It’s all the more important at a time when history’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading in Congo, he noted.
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he → ’ → Congo
Since the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, various new international funds, collaboratives, scientific programs and agreements have arisen to tackle pandemic threats better.
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funds → arise → threats
But the international community is navigating divides about the issue — and they were clear Friday, when countries couldn’t reach consensus on a declaration that was intended to cap the special pandemic meeting.
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that → navigate → meeting
Rahman said General Assembly members would consider the document in future.
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members → say → future
The draft declaration, obtained by The Associated Press, reiterates an intent to scale up preparedness and improve coordination within countries and among them.
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declaration → obtain → them
The document calls for enhancing financing, boosting lab capacity and promoting increased medication and vaccine access.
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document → call → access
Other provisions of the wide-ranging draft endorse trying to counter vaccine hesitancy and health-related misinformation, making all policies gender-equal and ensuring universal access to family planning and sexual health services by 2030.
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policies → range → 2030
Proponents said the proposed document would improve much-needed collaboration, risk monitoring and preparedness for a threat that doesn’t stop at any one country’s borders.
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that → say → borders
“That declaration can help the world move forward,” said former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, co-chair of Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response, a group created after COVID-19 emerged.
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COVID-19 → help → Preparedness
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference that the document “includes important commitments to concrete, measurable and urgent action to address gaps.”
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document → say → gaps
Countries from South Korea to Cape Verde to Guatemala expressed support for the declaration, facilitated by Armenia and Rwanda.
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Countries → express → Armenia
It’s “an expression of solidarity and international cooperation,” said Burundian Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana, speaking on behalf of a group of African nations.
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Bizimana → ’ → nations
A Caribbean countries’ association also backed the document.
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association → back → document
But it fell flat with some other nations.
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it → fall → nations
In statements during Friday’s multi-part meeting, the European Union said that the document didn’t do enough to foster financing accountability and efficiency, among other complaints.
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document → say → complaints
Germany called for a stronger focus on prevention.
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Germany → call → prevention
The U.S. objected to mentions of “divisive ideologies” and of a prospective separate arrangement for countries to share virus samples and in turn get tests, medicines and vaccines.
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countries → object → tests
That potential deal is under negotiations as a follow-on to a pandemic agreement that WHO member countries approved last year.
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countries → approve → that
The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization and wasn’t part of finalizing the pandemic treaty.
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States → withdraw → treaty
The Aporia
