Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
1
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
Another pandemic could wreak just as much havoc on the global economy and have just as devastating an effect on global health outcomes as war, famine or environmental disaster. The temptation for world leaders will be to ignore the risks of a future pandemic until it is too late. We …
Government response. The focus of each round of G7 and G20 meetings is at the discretion of the Presidency. Under the UK’s Presidency, G7 leaders backed ambitious plans to work together on improving pandemic preparedness as set out in the Carbis Bay …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
The pandemic has exposed shortcomings in the multilateral health system. The WHO lacks adequate funds, power and independence. It has done hugely important work in a difficult situation, facing intense pressure from many sides. However, it performed less effectively than under the leadership of Gro Harlem Brundtland and fell short …
Government response. There are always lessons to be learnt in any global health emergency, particularly one as complex as COVID-19. The findings and recommendations of the Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPR) and the other review processes help inform this. …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
3
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
To be more effective and independent, the WHO needs more reliable sources of funding, based on predictable fees from member states, rather than earmarked voluntary donations. We welcome the UK’s commitment to increase its core funding to the organisation. This should be accompanied by greater efforts to bring together other …
Government response. WHO needs more reliable and flexible sources of funding to be more effective. The UK has stepped up in this regard. The Prime Minister announced a new £340m, four-year, flexible funding programme at UNGA in 2020. This programme is now …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
4
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
The WHO needs support to withstand political pressure from certain member states. There should be no space for doubt about the independence of the WHO’s leadership, particularly given the organisation’s important work during the pandemic. Working in a highly political environment and facing targeted attempts at influence by Beijing and …
Government response. We would like to see increased transparency of the deliberations of the Emergency Committee and welcome the call to adopt a more transparent approach, including providing more information on how decisions have been reached and on what basis. We are …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
5
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
Without a full and transparent investigation into the origins of covid-19, we are at greater risk of a disastrous new outbreak. By impeding efforts to trace the origins of the virus, Beijing is endangering its own population along with the rest of the world. Even with a full investigation, the …
Government response. We have been clear that a transparent, independent and science-led investigation into the origins of COVID-19 must be an important part of the international effort to understand how the pandemic started and how it spread. We are working with partners …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
6
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
Taiwan’s impressive response to covid-19 illustrates that its exclusion from WHO forums risks harming global health security, making it harder to exchange information with Taiwan and learn from its experiences. In a deeply interconnected world, where the next pandemic could emerge from any region, we cannot afford to arbitrarily remove …
Government response. The UK supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations where statehood is not a prerequisite and where Taiwan can make a valuable contribution. The FCDO works with the Department for Health and Social Care to lobby for Taiwan’s participation in …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
7
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
We are concerned that the UK’s reduced access to European health networks could undermine the UK and European response to future disease outbreaks. We recommend that the Government builds structured permanent cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). In its response to this report, the FCDO …
Government response. The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) clearly sets out our commitment to continue working with the EU in tackling the current pandemic and any future threats. Specifically, in relation to the current pandemic, the UK has been granted access …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
8
Conclusion
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
When we launched this inquiry, in October 2020, it was not known whether there would ever be effective vaccines against covid-19. Today, less than a year later, all UK adults have been offered full immunisation, and 41 percent of the global population has received at least one dose. This is …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
9
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
The glaring inequality in global access to vaccines has created the opportunity for autocracies such as Russia and China to seek to undermine the West and expand their influence by donating and selling vaccines. Even if these campaigns have fallen short on delivery, there is still a worrying potential to …
Government response. At the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, leaders agreed to work to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022. The UK has delivered 16 million doses to recipients so far [as of 29 November], either bilaterally or through COVAX. …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
10
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
To defeat covid-19, and tackle future pandemics, a wider range of countries need the ability to produce vaccines. The production of AstraZeneca by India’s Serum Institute offers a good model for technology transfer to build this capacity. Many national leaders have backed the call for a temporary waiver on intellectual …
Government response. We are working with industry, COVAX and other international partners to champion other routes to scaling up capacity and engage on forward supply planning in order to accelerate the progress of vaccination programmes across the world. We are working with …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
11
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
Deliberate misinformation about the safety of vaccines is not only irresponsible— it costs lives. Tackling state-backed falsehoods on covid-19 should be an integral part of the Government’s global health security strategy. To promote global access to covid-19 vaccines and bring the pandemic under control, communities around the world need access …
Government response. The Government takes the issue of misinformation and disinformation very seriously. The DCMS-led Cross-Whitehall Counter Disinformation Unit brings together monitoring and analysis capabilities from across Government. Its primary function is to provide a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
12
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
The pandemic has highlighted the global nature of health security, and the need for greater international cooperation in this area. In an interconnected world, health security is inextricable from foreign policy. A cross-Government strategy on global health security is important to UK leadership in this area, and transparency is vital …
Government response. As we have set out in the 2021 Spending Review, the UK is catalysing action from the international community to address the most pressing issues, from COVID-19 to climate change and future pandemic preparedness. FCDO’s Spending Review settlement will enable …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
13
Recommendation
Fifth Report - Global Health, Global Br…
The Government argued that the FCO-DFID merger would be an opportunity to align aid spending with diplomatic policy, with the potential for gains in global health security. We are concerned that the Government is squandering this opportunity by making ill-considered cuts to vital global health programmes. It is short-sighted to …
Government response. The impact of the global pandemic on the UK economy has forced us to take the tough but necessary decision to temporarily reduce how much we spend on Official Development Assistance to 0.5% of Gross National Income. This is a …
Foreign and Commonwealth Office