Strengthening the COVID-19 pandemic response, global leadership, and international cooperation through global health diplomacy
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Health Promotion Perspective
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to claim lives around the world and,
to some extent, reflects the failure of international cooperation. Global health diplomacy (GHD)
can be a bridge for international cooperation for tackling public health crises, strengthening health
systems through emphasizing universal health coverage for sustainable and equitable development,
and rebuilding multilateral organizations. It can be a catalyst for future global health initiatives. Health
should not be used as a political tool at the cost of people’s lives, nor should it become a proxy
for geopolitics but can be used to diffuse tensions and create a positive environment for political
dialogue. Health diplomacy’s focus should be to mitigate inequality by making available diagnostics,
therapeutics, and vaccines as a global public good. The implications for the lack of international
cooperation will lead to increased global disparities and inequities as the countries that cannot
procure vaccines will find their population more vulnerable to the pandemic’s repercussion. Though
the international cooperation on trade has suffered the impact of geopolitical shifts and competition,
through engaging in GHD, the governments can align the trade and health policies. Amid this
global health crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has faced an increase in International
Health Regulations violations, limiting its influence and response during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Nations need to develop a sense of cooperation that serves as the basis for a mutual strategic trust for
international development. The priorities of all the countries should be to find the areas of common
interest, common operational overlap on development issues, and resource allocation for this global
fight against COVID-19
Description
Table of Contents
Keywords
COVID-19, Global health, Diplomacy, International cooperation, World Health Organization (WHO), Pandemic, International health regulations
Citation
Javed S, Chattu VK. Strengthening the COVID-19 pandemic response, global leadership, and international cooperation through global health diplomacy. Health Promot Perspect. 2020;10(4):300-305. Published 2020 Nov 7. doi:10.34172/hpp.2020.48