Devex: Opinion: A post-2020 narrative for global health
Loyce Pace, president and executive director of the Global Health Council

“Given so much focus on the COVID-19 pandemic and politics in the U.S., we have hardly taken a moment to consider what comes next. Surely, both will have a profound effect on how we tackle global health priorities after this year. Our strategies and systems have been tested in unprecedented ways, prompting us to ask ourselves how we rebuild and recover. President-elect Joe Biden has cautioned us against business as usual. So what does that mean in the wake of an ongoing health emergency? … With domestic needs looming and various issues clamoring for attention, we should be broad in our message and pull in new champions inspired by another set of principles. Here’s what I propose: Equity … Democracy … Humanity … Why is this relevant on the heels of a U.S. election? Because new leadership at such a pivotal time requires novel perspectives. The only way we’ll truly ‘build back better’ is to offer incoming policymakers at the federal and congressional levels what they need to take meaningful steps toward protecting and advancing global health, by aligning with today’s realities. With COVID-19 raging globally, WHO under threat, and other priorities falling by the wayside, we simply cannot rely on the status quo. We must find greater common ground with different players and topics that will work together toward the same goal” (11/10).