There is “scant evidence” that the world is learning the right lessons from the pandemic – meaning humanity remains vulnerable to a future disease outbreak, a panel of experts has said.
A scathing report said apathy, neglect and political divisions meant the necessary changes to prepare for future crises were not being made.
The panel, which is overseen by the World Health Organisation, said the world should “feel shame” over vaccine inequality and medical shortages suffered during the pandemic.
The report by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board said the world was “acutely vulnerable” to future health threats.
“While this disaster should have brought us together, instead we are divided, fragmented, and living in worlds apart,” said Elhadj As Sy, the panel’s co-chairman.
“Sadly, there is scant evidence that we are learning the right lessons from this pandemic. Thousands continue to die every day, yet many talk and act as if the pandemic is over. Already, attention is starting to wander.
“We are once again moving from panic to apathy and neglect. If we do not change course … we will have squandered a rare and fleeting opportunity to implement the transformative changes needed.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, said calls for change had been made before but not acted upon in time.
"This is important not only for this pandemic, but for the threats of the future," he said. "And as this new report makes clear, it is crucial not only that we act, but that we act in a coherent, coordinated matter."
The panel called for a stronger WHO with more resources and a collective financing mechanism to make money available for a future crisis.
It said world leaders should hold a summit on health emergency preparedness to prevent a repeat of the pandemic.
But it criticised them for focusing on their own countries, with global solidarity “remaining a mere catchphrase”.
“Fragmented by growing nationalism, geopolitical tensions, and deep inequalities, the world still struggles to mitigate the impact of Covid-19,” it said.
“Covid-19 has exposed a broken world that is inequitable, unaccountable, and divided.”
Nearly five million people have died from Covid-19, the WHO says, with more than 243m confirmed cases.
Taking into account excess mortality and deaths indirectly linked to Covid-19, the WHO estimates the true death toll could be two to three times higher.
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
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- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
