Save the Children has joined forces with 150 world leaders, Nobel laureates and prominent humanitarians in urging the G20 to set up a pledging conference and taskforce to co-ordinate a global response to Covid-19.
Inger Ashing, the CEO of Save the Children International is among the signatories to a letter calling on the G20, of which Australia is a member, for urgent measures to prevent a second wave of the pandemic.
Signatories to the letter include former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate, and Graca Machel, Nelson Mandela’s widow. In it they demand rapid support for the weakest health services in Africa and Asia and debt relief to help poor countries fight the disease.
Former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd and former Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans have signed the letter, along with former New Zealand Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key.
It calls for enhanced co-operation among G20 leaders in the race for vaccines, treatment and vital equipment such as ventilators.
Save the Children, which is responding to the pandemic in more than 100 countries, is strengthening community health systems, safety nets for those who lose their livelihoods, education and child protection.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Australia, Mat Tinkler:
“The pandemic is not just a public health crisis, it also presents a direct threat to child rights. There is a real danger that progress achieved over the last 20 years in reducing poverty, cutting child deaths and expanding access to learning will be reversed.”
“Without concerted, coordinated global action, it will be the poorest and most vulnerable who bear the brunt of this pandemic in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
As a member of the G20, Australia can play a key role in ensuring the most vulnerable in our region are supported through a global effort.”
To support Save the Children Australia’s COVID-19 Crisis Appeal, click here.
