Sad state of global cooperation bodes ill for next pandemic; can Asia set a better example?

Almost three years ago, as Covid-19 was sweeping across the world and we were spiralling into the worst global pandemic seen in a century, I wrote here in the Post that “some practical and globally agreed ground rules are urgently overdue”.

A couple of months later, with no vaccines yet in sight, I listed several lessons that I thought we had learned: that international cooperation and a unified approach were essential; that science had to lead our response; that large amounts of pre-emptive investment would be needed; that a short menu of simple actions would slow the spread (including wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, and conducting intelligently targeted testing and contact tracing); that even though Covid-19 was wreaking havoc worldwide, it was not “the big one” – which would be climate change; and finally, that we remain poor at judging the risks we face.

Today, I am still not certain all of these lessons have been learned. But after around 20 million deaths, and economic costs estimated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be over US$12 trillion, the World Health Organization (WHO) has at last released a “zero draft” of a global treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with serious negotiation set to start on February 28.