The world needs to take lessons from the aftermath of World War II in its quest to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, says the African Union High Representative For infrastructure Development, Raila Odinga.
The former Kenyan Prime Minister said on Saturday the war against the disease will not be won if nations focus solely on national responses at the expense of global measures.
“Cooperation, coordination and solidarity should guide the search for vaccines and cures for COVID-19. At the end of World War II, the role of saving Europe and, by extension, the world, passed on to the United States, who – together with the Soviet Union – liberated West Germany,” Odinga wrote on Twitter.
The 75-year-old also urged the U.S. and Europe to stand tall amid the pandemic and steer the world to restoration. He said the two have the ability to unite the entire world in its efforts against COVID-19.
“Collectively, they have the experience, the technology and the institutions to lead this process: if they can summon the will and a sense of debt to the world,” he said.
Odinga also took aim at countries that are alienating themselves from the global fight so as to focus on national responses.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has been fronting an America-first policy in tandem with a pledge the president made in his campaigns. President Trump also withdrew the U.S. funding of the World Health Organization, citing poor handling of the pandemic. But Odinga says this is not the way forward.
“Instead of withdrawal, we need engagement on a global, not national scale – no matter what the slogans that leaders used to win power might say. Although all nations have been devastated by this pandemic, that should be a reason for all of us to think beyond our borders, not to retreat. With this disease, no nation is safe as long as one nation is under attack. This is more so as we consider reopening our economies, including international travel and commerce,” he said.
The former prime minister noted that the COVID-19 pandemic threatened Africa more than other regions due to the presence of many other challenges on the continent.
“Africa is already organizing itself for post-COVID, just like the rest of the world. But Africa has more issues to be put on the table. It’s going to be extremely problematic for Africa to service its debt and finance reconstruction and recovery at the same time,” he said.
Already, Africa is reeling from negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, having seen many businesses shut down and economies take a fall.
While the global aviation industry has taken a hit, African airlines are among the worst affected, with some mulling total closures.
The continent is heavily reliant on informal jobs, with the International Labour Organization in a 2018 report estimating that more than 66% of total employment in Sub-Saharan African is in the informal sector. But with the pandemic, most of these jobs have either been lost or seen massive reductions.
Like other regions globally, African countries are also starting to ease lockdown measures as their economies struggle amid the pandemic.
With African economies struggling, Odinga says the wold can consider debt reliefs or restructuring.
In his remarks on Saturday, he said: “There is therefore a need for bilateral and multilateral discussions into debt write-offs and rescheduling for Africa. These efforts require financial, political and diplomatic backing on a global scale.”
Odinga’s remarks come as the global COVID-19 infections exceed 4.5 million and the death toll surpasses 308,000.
The world’s focus is now geared towards the search and development of a vaccine against the virus. In this regard, countries last month pledged eight billion U.S. dollars to fund the research into vaccines, treatments and diagnostics to tackle COVID-19. The United States did not contribute to the global effort.
Source: newsaf.cgtn.com
