Council of Liberal Presidents – Joint Statement on World Health Day

Meeting virtually on Tuesday 7 April, the Council of Liberal Presidents convened by the President of Liberal International, Dr Hakima el Haité, applauded the speed with which vaccines have been developed to combat COVID 19 but expressed growing concern that the rollout has until now been so unequal around the world.

They agreed to issue the following joint statement: 

On the occasion of World Health Day and more than one year since the world first went into lockdown, we praise the resilience of countless communities globally and stand to applaud frontline healthcare workers all around the world that have worked tirelessly. 

We applaud the many scientists, philanthropists and leaders for the record-breaking development of multiple vaccines now in circulation, a triumph for science and liberal values of enterprise and innovation. 

This pandemic has taught us that no one is safe until everyone is safe. We note that for developed countries in the coming months, life will return to ‘normal’ but for many less developed countries this process will take far longer. We call for greater international cooperation, compassion, and investment in initiatives such as COVAX to increase equality and access to vaccines.

We call for pharmaceutical companies to waive patents on the vaccines now in circulation to support the increased production in regions worst affected by COVID-19, including Africa, Asia and Latin America. This will allow governments to focus more on overcoming the logistical challenges of rolling out mass immunisation schemes in their countries.

At the same time, we demand world leaders seize this opportunity to rethink what the new ‘normal’ should look like and welcome the efforts of the WHO and its task force led by Dr Hans Kluge to this effect but insist it includes voices from every corner of the world in its work. 

Future generations will not be so forgiving if today’s political leaders fail to apply the social and economic lessons of this pandemic to improve access to healthcare for all. A renewed focus must be made to their commitments to the targets of Sustainable Development Goal three, ‘good health and wellbeing.’ 

We can no longer neglect the relationships between human, animal, and environmental health, and urge closer international cooperation such as through the intergovernmental panel on climate change to defeat borderless threats and seek to avert the long-term effects of future pandemics. 

If we have learned anything over the past year, it is that things that seem impossible today can quickly become tomorrow’s reality. 

• President of Liberal International – Hakima el Haité
• President of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party – Hans van Baalen 
• President of Africa Liberal Network – Gilbert Ouédraogo
• President of Council of Asian Liberals & Democrats – Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan
• President of Liberal Network for Latin America – Bertha Pantoja