World Economic Forum's Covid-19 platform gets support from 726 private sector members

The first-of-its-kind digital platform has coordinated at least two large-scale donations so far

A Spanish soldier stands next to beds set up at a temporary hospital for vulnerable people at the Fira Barcelona Montjuic centre in Barcelon. AFP

A deserted Waterloo station in London, Britain. EPA

People walk through a nearly empty Times Square in New York, USA. EPA

Dana Baer and her son Jacob Baer wish Avery Slutsky a happy sixth birthday from their car during a drive-by birthday celebration as they maintain social distance amid an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) across the country in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, U.S. REUTERS

A Sri Lanka’s Civil Defence Force personnel walks among packages of dry rations of food and commodities to be distributed, during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus, at a warehouse near Colombo. AFP

Medical workers wearing protective gears work, at the level intensive care unit for patients contaminated with coronavirus COVID-19 at Erasme Hospital in Brussels. AFP

Aerial view showing almost empty streets in Bogota, taken during the lockdown ordered by the government to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. AFP

Auxiliary bishop of Lyon Emmanuel Gobilliard holds a streamed live Mass in the empty Saint-Irenee church, in Lyon on the eighth day of a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. AFP

A health worker carries a body on a stretcher outside Gregorio Maranon hospital in Madrid. AFP

Riot police walk towards drivers and workers related to the public transport blocking a street in Tegucigalpa as they protest against "an absolute curfew" decreed by the government to force the population to isolate themselves in their homes and curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. AFP

Visitors take selfies at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu in China's southwestern Sichuan province. AFP

A view shows a toilet paper production line at the Syassky Pulp & Paper Mill, as the company increases production due to high demand amid the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, in the town of Syasstroy in Russia's Leningrad region. AFP

Francisco, 1, from Chile, sleeps inside his stroller while a health ministry official measures his body temperature inside El Dorado International Airport after flights were suspended to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Bogota, Colombia. REUTERS

Medical officials aid a residents from St. Joseph's nursing home to board a bus, after a number of residents tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Woodbridge, New Jersey, U.S. REUTERS

Cao Junjie poses for a picture with his two-month old baby inside a safety pod he created to protect his baby from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a residential compound in Shanghai, China. REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron wears a face mask during his visit at the military field hospital in Mulhouse, eastern France. AP

Birds perch on a gate where a police officer stands guard outside the Justice Palace court, during a government order for residents to stay home to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus, in Bogota, Colombia. AP Photo

Since the World Economic Forum rolled out a digital platform for the global business community to help address the deadly coronavirus pandemic two weeks ago, the number of private sector partners joining weekly calls, leading a project or lending a helping hand, has soared to 726.

The WEF Covid Action Platform has so far coordinated at least two large-scale donation efforts so far, according to the Swiss-based organisation. 

UK pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca will donate 9 million face masks to healthcare workers worldwide, with the first shipment going to hard-hit Italy. The company is also accelerating the development of its diagnostic testing to scale-up screening and supplement testing where needed. And the world’s biggest soap company, the UK’s Unilever, is coordinating the donation of sanitiser, soap, bleach and food worth €50 million (Dh201.3m) through the WEF platform.

"When everyone wants to help, how do you coordinate all that? There is a need for global collaboration because no one can do it alone, whether it's supply chains, creating a cure or sharing information," Murat Sonmez, a managing director at the WEF, told The National said. "There was a need for an international, informal and impact-oriented platform."

The global death toll from the novel coronavirus is nearing 28,000, with more than 600,000 confirmed cases, with about 132,000 recoveries, according to Johns Hopkins University which is tracking global data. Billions of people have been ordered or urged to stay in their homes, with India joining European states including Britain, France and Italy in imposing strict lockdowns.

“If you look at the geopolitical situation, between China, the US and the EU, the WEF is one of the few to have the trust of all of the governments and also has the global business community engaged,” Mr Sonmez said.

The platform, launched in partnership with the World Health Organisation, is conducting weekly calls with senior executives around the world and across sectors on what is needed to address the pandemic. On the agenda are business donations to the public health response and the status of development of vaccines, diagnostics and protective equipment, as well as tracking the economic impact of the virus and pursuing collaboration to address disruptions.

“It’s going to take action from everyone in society to overcome this challenge,” Alan Jope, the chief executive of Unilever, said.

Another area where the WEF aims to be helpful is in developing regulation to expedite the response to Covid-19, Mr Sonmez noted.

Getting governments, the private sector and NGOs at the same table to respond to the Ebola crisis of 2014, among other public health challenges, provide a blueprint.

One example is the adoption of drones for public health management in Rwanda. As social distancing has proved to be the single best option to contain Covid-19 before a vaccine becomes widely available. Drones have already been deployed by countries including China, the US to the UAE to tackle to situation.

“In the absence of physical contact, how do you coordinate delivery of medical supplies on demand?” Mr Sonmez said, adding the answer is already out there.

The WEF, two years ago, worked with the Rwanda government to regulate drones as a way of addressing high mortality rates in childbirth.

DJI, one of China’s largest drone manufacturers, is a WEF partner and has helped in informing regulators about the capabilities drones actually have and what they can be used for.

“The engagement of the business community is essential because they are providing the technology,” Mr Sonmez said.

San Francisco drone start-up Zipline brought its technology and hardware to Rwanda. Blood stored in a central location was delivered to the patients in need by zipline drones. The programme achieved a zero loss rate in blood distribution, access to blood quadrupled in the targetted communities and the response time was reduced from 4 hours to 28 minutes. Today, Rwanda has the largest delivery drone network in the world and some of the most rigorous laws to oversee their operations.

Twelve African countries and India are considering adopting Rwanda’s regulatory framework, but more may come onboard as the public health response to Covid-19 evolves.

According to Mr Sonmez, these kinds of collaborations are a reason to take heart. “Humanity will survive and we will learn from this.”