The coronavirus pandemic is the “greatest test of global solidarity in generations” but offers an opportunity to rebuild a consensus for international order, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel have insisted.
In a joint article alongside fellow leaders — coordinated by Project Syndication and published in The Independent — they added the emergency has caused the “world’s worst economic crisis since World War II” with inequalities threatening social cohesion.
Joined by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the United Nations general secretary Antonio Guterres, the leaders said: “Recovery of a strong and stable world economy is a fundamental priority.
“Indeed, the current crisis is threatening to undo the process we have made over two decades in fighting poverty and gender inequality.”
On international relations, they stressed the crisis calls for the “most ambitious decisions to shape the future”, adding: “We believe that this one can be an opportunity to rebuild consensus for an international order based on multilateralism and the rule of law through efficient cooperation, solidarity and cooperation.
“Health is the first emergency. The Covid-19 crisis is the greatest test of global solidarity in generations. It has reminded us of an obvious fact: in the face of a pandemic, our health safety chain is only as strong as the weakest health system. Covid-19 anywhere is a threat to people and economies everywhere.
“The pandemic calls for a strong coordinated International response that rapidly expands access to tests, treatments and vaccines, recognising extensive immunisation as a global public good must be available and affordable to all.”
The article warns that the emergency is also “environmental” and calls on leaders to “enhance our efforts to tackle climate change” and make economies more sustainable ahead of the November COP26 summit in Glasgow.
By early 2021, countries accounting for more than 65 per cent of global greenhouse-gas emissions, they add, are “likely to have made ambitious commitments on carbon neutrality”, but urge national governments to begin “implementing concrete plans and policies”.
It concludes: “To meet these challenges, multilateralism is not just another diplomatic technique. It shapes world order and is a very specific way of organising international relations based on cooperation, the rule of law, collective action, and share principles.
“Rather than pitting civilisations and values against one another, we must build a more inclusive multilateralism, respecting our differences as much as our common values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The article — coordinated by Project Syndication — is signed by the French president, the German chancellor, the secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, the president of the European Council Charles Michel, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the president of Senegal Macky Sall.
