Prepare for pandemics, protect the planet

Underpinning the 1951 Treaty of Paris was a spirit of solidarity we sorely need today. Any international pandemic agreement must reflect that mindset

On 18 April 1951, six countries – Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – signed the Treaty of Paris.

In doing so, they established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which aimed to bring peace and prosperity to a continent ravaged by war. The treaty also ushered in a new era of solidarity and collaboration, which ultimately led to the creation of the European Union.

unless we collaborate on vaccinating the world today, and preparing for the pandemics of tomorrow, we’ll all lose

Today, we need that spirit more than ever. The Second World War may have been far more deadly than COVID-19, but viruses don’t respect borders. So, unless we collaborate on vaccinating the world today, and preparing for the pandemics of tomorrow, we’ll all lose.

Encouragingly, the World Health Assembly (WHA) has already agreed to start drafting an international pact on pandemics. In this blog, the fifth in my series, I’ll examine how the mindset behind the Treaty of Paris and the ECSC could help shape that thinking.

Bringing peace through the raw materials of war

The ECSC was founded to prevent further conflict and encourage economic recovery by creating a shared and stable supply of coal and steel.

To achieve its goals, the ECSC collected data on production and demand, prepared forecasts and oversaw production capacity and workers’ conditions. It also granted and guaranteed loans and advised on how to boost productivity, innovation and skills. All while consulting with producers, customers and workers.

Did it work? Well, the ECSC certainly helped foster lasting peace, while also laying the foundations for a 27-member-strong trading bloc. Being self-funded (through a levy on coal and steel production) gave it the independence to set its own policies on loans and investments. And between 1952 and 1960, iron and steel production in ECSC nations rose by 75%.?

But despite this early success, the ECSC’s role soon moved to helping countries manage the transition away from these declining industries, which included providing substantial welfare support and retraining for displaced workers.

What’s more, because its High Assembly relied on national ministers to co-operate, it was often powerless to intervene to keep prices in check, or maintain workers’ pay.

Issuing guidelines isn’t enough; organizations need the power to enforce them

So, how do these lessons relate to the situation facing governments today?

First, collecting, sharing and analyzing data has made up a large part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governments have also given loans to businesses and protected workers’ pay, while supranational bodies such as the European Commission continue to provide economic support.

But just as the ECSC couldn’t mandate compliance with its recommendations, so too have global institutions struggled to enforce a coordinated approach. For example, on 30th January 2020, the World Health Organization declared a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) and issued guidelines on testing, tracing and social distancing. But it didn’t have the mandate to enforce its guidelines (or arguably the will, given it relies heavily on voluntary country contributions).

As a result, governments were again able to put self-interest above solidarity. And COVID-19 spread rapidly around the world.

Building solidarity through a pact on pandemics

Only an international pandemic agreement could circumvent this problem – and work to create one has already begun. Last November, delegates at a Special Session of the WHA agreed to start drafting an international pandemic agreement. Its aim: to improve how we prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics.

So, what might this agreement look like, and how might it reflect the lessons of the Treaty of Paris? From my perspective, and building on the ideas in my second blog of this series, I’d like to see global leaders commit to:

• Making a set annual contribution, a percentage of which would be dedicated to developing vaccines and treatments
• Strengthening the WHO – for example, by giving it the power to declare a pandemic (rather than just a PHEIC), along with the sovereignty to distribute resources based on need, not wealth
• Appointing representatives from industry, science and public health to sit on a consultative committee
• Complying with WHO advice when it sounds the alarm – whether that’s by sharing data, closing borders or implementing test and trace systems.

Finally, I’d like the pact to have real “teeth”, by which I mean a legally binding treaty, as originally proposed. But getting two-thirds of WHO member states to adopt such a strict agreement will likely be a challenge. I can only hope that, when it comes to preventing future pandemics, global leaders will recognize the importance of putting solidarity over sovereignty.

Tackling the root cause of pandemics

Of course, no discussion of the ECSC can ignore that it was founded to protect and grow two highly carbon-intensive industries: coal and steel.

Today, we know we must move away from industries like these if we’re to limit global warming to 1.5% above pre-industrial levels. What’s more, there’s growing evidence that environmental degradation like deforestation makes pandemics more likely by reducing biodiversity.

That’s why I was pleased to see more than 100 global leaders pledge to end deforestation by 2030 at least year’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). The next step will be to turn this commitment into legislative action.

I’d also like to see governments apply the collaborative spirit of the ECSC for a very different purpose: to wean the world off of fossil fuels and develop alternatives. It’s part of the wholesale shift we need to make in our patterns of production and consumption if we’re to tackle the existential threat of climate change.

Now’s the time to take truly bold action – and act as one

In his 1950 Declaration, Richard Schuman – the architect of the Treaty of Paris and the then French Foreign Minister – said: "Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”

Substitute the word “Europe” with either “pandemic preparedness” or “climate action” and you have a message that resonates strongly today.

Governments must act on that sentiment now – by taking concrete, ambitious steps to prepare for pandemics while protecting the future of our planet.

The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.