PAX sapiens

Right now, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is fighting a mysterious disease outbreak. In doing so it faces countless challenges, from rapidly changing and often incomplete information to the logistical difficulties of delivering medical care in remote areas. One thing that the DRC, or any country fighting an epidemic, should not have to worry about is the risk of economic harm to their country if they report on the disease and their progress fighting it. Yet this is exactly what countries face time after time. By reporting disease and epidemics, countries that help keep the world safe, instead of being rewarded, are punished with trade and travel sanctions. Is it any wonder that the fear of such sanctions can deter the swift and transparent outbreak reporting that could stop an epidemic from becoming a pandemic? The PAX sapiens Pandemic Compensation Initiative will address this barrier to effective pandemic response by helping create a compensation mechanism to offset harms resulting from transparency in reporting. We’re convening an expert panel to design this compensation scheme, and we look forward to sharing our progress in this work.

As we begin Women's History Month, we celebrate leaders who continue shaping a more peaceful and secure world. We’re thrilled to recognize our very own Cynda Collins Arsenault, a dedicated advocate for peace and security, for being named a Global Luminary by the United Nations Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF)! Cynda is a co-founder of PAX sapiens and this recognition follows her extensive work in promoting peace and security internationally, including our work in the Women, Peace, and Security agenda through the Our Secure Future program. We are honored to work alongside changemakers like Cynda. This well-deserved recognition of her leadership and impact continues to inspire us all. Congratulations, Cynda! ??? ? #WomenPeaceSecurity #WomensHistoryMonth??

Recent restructuring of governmental spending on global health means it’s now more important than ever to find new public-private partnerships to support progress. The PAX sapiens Pandemic Compensation Initiative will design a solution for a problem that can inhibit swift reporting and response to emerging epidemics: economic harms caused by the trade and travel barriers that are often imposed on countries when they report disease outbreaks. Countries face a perverse incentive. When they report disease outbreaks, they are serving a global good, but often get an economic kick in the teeth for doing so. PAX sapiens convening an international working group to design a compensation mechanism to help overcome this barrier to effective pandemic response by mitigating the economic harms.?The committee will have the freedom to adopt whatever solution it thinks best – but one set of options under consideration includes partnering with the private sector either to establish insurance funds for these economic harms, or even to set up reward payments for the discovery of novel pathogens. Either of these solutions could mobilize public as well as private funding to help stretch constrained governmental resources. ? Stay tuned for more details as the Initiative develops solutions to this complex challenge.

?? ICYMI: PAX sapiens Founder Marcel Arsenault highlights a crucial truth in The Diplomat: China-US Cooperation on the Fentanyl Crisis Is Very Possible - Bilateral cooperation on fentanyl can save lives, protect societies and punish drug traffickers. From China’s 2019 class wide fentanyl ban to renewed collaboration after the 2023 Woodside Summit, history shows that when the U.S. and China cooperate, real progress is made in disrupting fentanyl supply chains. But when political blame takes center stage, the only winners are drug traffickers. Our research also reinforces this: Americans overwhelmingly blame the drug cartels in Mexico, hold accountable the addicts who generate the demand for these substances and the U.S. government responsible for effectively addressing this crisis. Constructive engagement, not finger-pointing, is the key to effective solutions. ?? Read more: https://ow.ly/4E9c50V2pNy #FentanylCrisis #USChinaRelations #PublicHealth

PAX is proud to support this year's Women Powering Change Event! This annual event showcases the work of women-focused and led nonprofits and B-corps who are creating a more just and sustainable world. Join us on May 7th!

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?? ICYMI: The latest Event Horizon from Open Nuclear Network, a program of PAX sapiens, is out now.

We're #hiring a new Communications Manager in Broomfield, Colorado. Apply today or share this post with your network.

?? The Fentanyl Crisis: A Global Public Health Emergency ?? The fentanyl crisis has reached alarming levels, with overdose deaths linked to fentanyl and its analogues rapidly rising. This crisis is not confined to any one nation—it’s a global public health emergency that demands immediate action. That’s why the Joint Action on Drug Elimination (JADE), led by Daniel Baldwin, focuses on fostering cooperation between the U.S. and China to tackle the fentanyl trade. With a strategic emphasis on identifying and disrupting drug trafficking networks, JADE aims to reduce the availability of synthetic opioids and address the root causes of the crisis. We believe that by building trust between nations and sharing knowledge and resources, we can take decisive action to reverse the tide of the fentanyl crisis. #Fentanyl #InternationalCooperation #PublicHealth