Time to start preparing for next pandemic, Harris tells U.N.
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris told United Nations members Monday that now is the time for global leaders to begin putting serious work into deciding how they will respond to the next pandemic.
The virtual address, Harris’ second to a U.N. body since her inauguration, comes as the United States makes progress on vaccinating the public and as much of the world struggles to acquire vaccine doses.
“At the same time that the world works to get through this pandemic, we also know that we must prepare for the next,” Harris said in remarks released by her office. The closed meeting was co-hosted by U.N. permanent representatives of Argentina, Japan, Norway and South Africa.
Harris’ remarks broadly outlined how the administration thinks the U.S. and other nations should consider focusing their attention. The steps include improving accessibility to health systems; investing in science, health workers and the well-being of women; and surging capacity for manufacturing of personal protective equipment, vaccines and tests.
Harris said much has been learned over the past year about pandemic preparedness and response but that it would be unwise to rest easy.
“We have been reminded that the status quo is not nearly good enough and that innovation is indeed the path forward,” Harris said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in video remarks that the world would have been better prepared “to weather the covid-19 crisis” if greater progress had been made in achieving U.N. development goals such as eliminating extreme poverty, which now has a 2030 target date, according to U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
The U.N. chief said that to prevent new emergencies, countries need to work together, “make peace with nature, … invest in risk surveillance and social safety nets,” anticipate crises and prepare for future pandemics, according to Haq.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said Harris and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, “highlighted the need to take proactive action now to create a lasting global health security architecture that will strengthen health systems and make the world more resilient in the face of future pandemics.”
They called Monday’s meeting “an important first step” toward pandemic preparedness and made clear that preventing the next pandemic will require strong partnerships and collaboration around the world, the U.S. mission said.
Harris and Thomas-Greenfield expressed hope that the dialogue will continue, including at the upcoming Rome Global Health Summit and the World Health Assembly next month, the U.S. mission readout said.