Coronavirus, Global Governance, Public Health At Penn event, former Norwegian PM blasts U.S., China, WHO for botching COVID-19 pandemic

Former Prime Minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland discussed how the failures of the World Health Organization and individual governments to properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the extent of its destructive impact at a virtual Perry World House event.

Brundtland, who is also the former Director-General of the WHO, said the pandemic revealed the fragility of the current world order. The Wednesday event was moderated by NPR Middle East Correspondent Deborah Amos and introduced by Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel as part of the PWH series “The UN at 75: Coronavirus and Competition,” which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. 

“Both the death toll and the economic impact of the pandemic have fallen disproportionally on poor, vulnerable, and marginalized communities within all societies," Brundtland said. "Deepening the chasms of inequality and social injustice, COVID-19 has revealed a collective failure by leaders and policymakers to take pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response seriously and prioritize it accordingly.”

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