Boris Johnson and 23 world leaders call for international ‘pandemic treaty’

Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined 23 other world leaders in calling for an international accord to tackle future pandemics (Picture: AP)

Boris Johnson and 23 other world leaders have called for a global ‘pandemic treaty’ similar to those signed after the Second World War.

The Prime Minister effectively declared peace with French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel amid fears of a vaccine war with the European Union.

They said Covid has been a ‘stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe’ and the post-coronavirus world must work together to protect the health of future generations.

Writing in newspapers across the world, including the Daily Telegraph, the leaders said a new treaty for pandemic preparedness will be needed to tackle health crises.

They described Covid as the ‘biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s’, calling for a new international accord like those agreed after the two world wars, which brought about an era of co-operation between nation states.

It said: ‘Today we hold the same hope that, as we fight to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic together, we can build a more robust international health architecture that will protect future generations.

‘We believe that nations should work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response.

‘Such a renewed collective commitment would be a milestone in stepping up pandemic preparedness at the highest political level.’

French President Emmanuel Macron also backed calls for a pandemic treaty (Picture: Sipa/Rex)

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There is a shared commitment to ‘ensuring universal and equitable access to safe, efficacious and affordable vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for this and future pandemics’, it added.

In addition, the new international treaty would look to improve co-operation across a range of fields, from systems alerting about potential pandemics, to the sharing of data and distribution of vaccines and personal protective equipment.

The letter said: ‘At a time when Covid-19 has exploited our weaknesses and divisions, we must seize this opportunity and come together as a global community for peaceful co-operation that extends beyond this crisis.’

Coronavirus has led to nearly 2.8 million deaths worldwide, according to figures from the Johns Hopkins University, while 127 million people have been infected by the virus first detected in China in late 2019.

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