Report

Solidarity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at whether the world worked together to tackle the coronavirus.

It has frequently been stated during the COVID-19 pandemic that ‘no one is safe until we are all safe’. This is most commonly talked of between nations, but, importantly, it also applies within countries. Besides the elderly, the pandemic has disproportionately affected the disadvantaged, the poor, the vulnerable, minorities, migrants and other neglected and marginalized groups, in all societies. It has been prolonged by the failure in many countries to adequately support and protect these groups. Where solidarity has been weak, inequities have widened, and effective responses to the pandemic have been frustrated. This paper assesses how the global community has responded to calls for greater solidarity in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, and presents the insights of key stakeholders and experts in global health governance, health security, and pandemic preparedness and response. The authors examine the state of solidarity at global, regional and national levels, and present case studies on COVAX and on the EU’s turbulent journey through solidarity. Barriers to solidarity hamper response efforts and potentially threaten a swift resolution and recovery for all countries and populations. It is therefore critical that barriers are identified and confronted, not only in this pandemic, but to prepare more effectively to tackle future global crises.