UN Secretary General repeats the call for international cooperatoin against COVID-19. (photo: Getty Images)

Experts say individual countries making uncoordinated efforts will have a hard time defeating the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been spreading and wreaking havoc on the economy of country after country.

International cooperation in mobilizing global resources to contain the pandemic and minimize its economic impacts is now vital.

Enhancing international cooperation in the fight against Covid-19 is echoed in UN General Assembly resolution and the EU statement

The UN General Assembly on last Thursday approved by a vote of 188-5a resolution calling for "international cooperation" and "multilateralism" in the fight against Covid-19. The draft resolution was submitted by Switzerland, Indonesia, Singapore, Norway, Liechtenstein and Ghana.

This was the UN’s first action to fight Covid-19 since it broke out late last year. Unlike UN Security Council resolutions, resolutions of the General Assembly are not binding, but nonetheless have a strong political influence.

Josep Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said last Sunday that the Covid-19 pandemic could quickly get out of control in Africa and the EU must step in to avoid ramifications for the bloc. Borrell said that even if they solve the problem in Europe, it will not really be solved if it is not solved everywhere.

Cooperation falling short of expectations

Many people share Josep Borrell’s view that “helping others is the way to save ourselves”. They believe international cooperation is the key to defeating Covid-19 and any future pandemic.

Experts in global pandemics say it’s essential that the countries who lead the world in science and medicine cooperate in the fight. Cooperation between China and the US, the world’s two biggest economies with the world’s most advanced medical technologies, is the surest and quickest way to find effective treatments and vaccines, they suggest.

Countries should collaborate in the global allocation and distribution of medical and financial resources, particularly to regions with limited resources.

Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, cooperation between world powers, particularly between the US and China, is falling far short of expectations.

In an interview with the New York Times last Sunday, Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai said that although the US and China have differences, at a time when solidarity is so essential, they need to cooperate and support each other.

The UN resolution, the statement of the Chinese Ambassador, and Russia’s recent offer of medical aid to the US are signs that international cooperation will ultimately expand to defeat this pandemic.