LONDON & MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Chief of the newly formed Panel for a Global Public Health Convention (GPHC) today briefed members of the prestigious Club de Madrid, the largest forum of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from across the globe, about a set of new proposals aimed at improving how the world responds to international health emergencies and crises like COVID-19.
The GPHC panel represents an independent coalition of global leaders working to strengthen the world’s ability to prevent, prepare, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks before they become widespread pandemics.
Dame Barbara Stocking, president of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge and chair of the GPHC panel, discussed in a closed virtual session of Club de Madrid key recommendations from a research project jointly conducted by the University of Miami (UM) with support from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which will be published in the Lancet Public Health journal in the coming weeks.
The study, which was led by Dr. Jose Szapocznik, a distinguished professor of Public Health Sciences at UM, gathered and analyzed input from over 29 leading global public health experts. The central idea behind the project is that the world needs a new treaty or convention to ensure timely cooperation, transparency, and compliance with agreed upon rules among countries whenever a public health emergency or a pandemic occurs.
“We are honored by the opportunity to present our proposals to the Members of Club de Madrid,” said Dame Barbara. “Reforms of the global public health system will require endorsement and action at the highest levels of government in countries across the world, as well as by multilateral institutions. We believe Club de Madrid is an ideal forum to start this important conversation.”
Club de Madrid is a non-partisan, international non-profit organization with more than 100 Members from over 70 countries, which constitutes an alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers who leverage their unique leadership experience and global reach to strengthen inclusive democratic values and practice and improve the well-being of people around the world and pursue democracy that delivers.
US MEDIA CONTACT:
Anicca Liu
Project Manger, Panel for a Global Public Health Convention
a.liu5@miami.edu