Category: Network Impact

Call for African Leaders to Support the Pandemic Fund

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the devastating impact that epidemics and pandemics can have on the health, security, and prosperity of Africans. It has accentuated the need for a New Public Health Order for Africa — championed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) — not in the least because of the gross global inequities in access to medical tools including vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, personal protective equipment, and other lifesaving medical countermeasures and supplies that have played out during this pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has also underscored the need for Africa to build more resilient health systems and collaborate across borders to be able to prevent, detect, and respond to emerging health threats while addressing ongoing health priorities. 

African civil society organizations (CSOs) have come together to urge leaders of African governments to pledge their support for the proposed new Pandemic Preparedness Fund at the World Bank and to ensure that the Fund advances the aims of the New Public Health Order for Africa through equitable and multilateral support. If well-resourced, the Fund has the potential to be a transformative new source of financing to advance Africa’s health security and to prevent the next pandemic. 

Read the full letter. If your organization is interested in signing on, please reach out to Hanna. 

 

Call for G7 Leaders to Take Pandemic Action!

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

Ahead of this month’s G7 Leaders’ Summit and in the face of multiple global challenges, civil society groups (CSOs) from around the world urge G7 Leaders to take action on pandemics to both align the global response to make COVID-19 a controllable respiratory disease across all countries and step up efforts to prepare the world against the next pandemic threat. 

While the outcomes of the last Global COVID-19 Summit and G7 Ministerial Meetings showed renewed political commitment and a much needed reset to the global response, ending this pandemic still demands further action. As noted in May’s G7 Foreign, Health, and Development Ministers communiqués, the pandemic won’t be over until it is over for all. Echoing their words, nearly 40 CSOs call on G7 Leaders to invest now to end the current crisis and prevent the next, including by addressing poverty and inequality as barriers to ending pandemics and through investment in national health capacity and community systems.

Three priority actions:

  1. Fill the financing gaps to advance the delivery of COVID-19 tools still needed such as tests and treatments, increasing transparency to foster coordination and enhance value for money. 
  2. Advance new, equitable, inclusive, and innovative sources of financing for pandemic preparedness and response, including through the new Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness Fund.
  3. Build on the G7 Pact for Pandemic Readiness Concept Note of May 20 to drive support for a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to pandemic preparedness.

The CSOs also strongly urge G7 Leaders to capitalize on the opportunity at the G7 Summit to publicly endorse the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response’s recommendation to establish a Global Health Threats Council and commit to advancing the proposal during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly.

Read the full letter. If your organization would like to sign on, contact Hanna by June 21.

Collective Commitment for the Second Global COVID-19 Summit

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

The following collective commitment was submitted on behalf of Pandemic Action Network for the Second Global COVID-19 Summit hosted on May 12, 2022.

Pandemic Action Network is a network of 257 organizations around the world driving collective action to bring an end to the COVID-19 crisis and to ensure the world is prepared for the next pandemic.

Pandemic Action Network is staying in this fight until the COVID crisis is ended for everyone, everywhere and sustainable systems are built at the global, regional, and national levels to proactively and equitably prevent, prepare for, and respond to future pandemic threats.

Pandemic Action Network commits to mobilize at least 100 new partners by the end of 2022, with an emphasis on organizations in lower- and middle-income countries, to advance the Summit goals to vaccinate the world, save lives now, and build back better for global health security and pandemic preparedness.

From now through the end of 2022, Pandemic Action Network and its global community of partners commit to: 

Vaccinate the World: Press governments, multilateral agencies, philanthropic and private sector partners to galvanize the necessary investments, coordination, and incentives to deliver vaccines that are still urgently needed in many parts of the world, including but not limited to closing the remaining funding gaps that have been identified for COVAX and the ACT-Accelerator. We will champion and support delivery of an accelerated, robust, and equitable global vaccination plan in support of national, regional, and global vaccination targets to achieve equitable global immunization levels.

Save Lives Now: Support efforts to drive forward a dynamic global test-to-treat strategy that applies lessons learned from the dramatic inequities in access to COVID-19 medical countermeasures and lifesaving tools. We will work to increase transparency on pricing and supply of tools to fight COVID-19, and make sure stakeholders prioritize access to testing, timely reporting, and treatments as the world transitions from crisis response to long-term sustainable preparedness for future surges of COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks.

Build Better Health Security: Mobilize political and financial commitments to stand-up and finance a dedicated new fund for global health security and pandemic preparedness. We will work with governments, the World Bank, WHO, philanthropy, private sector and civil society partners to design, launch, promote, and sustainably finance a fund that marshals significant new and sustainable resources for pandemic preparedness, as an inclusive and additive part of the global health architecture. 

In addition, Pandemic Action Network will promote cross-country and cross-regional cooperation, and sharing of best practices and lessons learned, to inform more effective and equitable pandemic preparedness and response plans and implementation. 

Pandemic Action Network will also maintain a steady drumbeat of advocacy, outreach, and civic engagement to keep all stakeholders — governments, private sector, philanthropy, academic, and civil society — accountable to their commitments and roles in building a healthier, safer future for all.

The Pandemic Action Network global community of partners commits to investing at least US$175 million between May and December 2022 toward these efforts, to help end the COVID-19 crisis and ensure the world is better prepared for the next pandemic.

Watch Pandemic Action Network’s submitted video commitment in advance of the Summit.

 

 

Seizing the Moment: Global Action to End the COVID-19 Crisis and Prevent the Next Pandemic

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. The rapid global spread of the omicron variant has transitioned the pandemic to a new phase that requires updating our strategy and priorities to ensure a more effective — and equitable — response.

We are at a pivotal moment: progress on the global response has slowed, and we risk further setbacks due to the convergence of multiple global security crises with pandemic fatigue and complacency. The post-omicron global strategy must evolve, and requires global solidarity, coordination, and commitment to address short- and long-term imperatives.

These imperatives resounded throughout our jointly convened dialogue, Global Call to Action: End the COVID-19 Crisis and Prevent the Next Pandemic, on March 29, 2022. Diverse speakers joined by over 400 participants from around the world collectively identified four priorities set in a declaration to meet global needs at this stage of the pandemic and build stronger, more resilient, and equitable systems for the future: 

  1. Accelerate equitable access to and acceptance of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, building for the future.
  2. Support country-led and community-driven goals and priorities, with global support strengthening national and regional systems and advancing equity.
  3. Build and invest now to pandemic proof the future for everyone, everywhere.
  4. Drive accountability at all levels and commit to global solidarity.

Read the joint declaration by Africa CDC, Amref Health Africa, African Population and Health Research Center, Organismo Andinode Salud, Cayetano Heredia University School of Public Health, Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives, COVID GAP, Pandemic Action Network, ONE Campaign, University of Ibadan College of Medicine, and WACI Health.

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The Network Effect on Pandemic Preparedness & Response

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

It has been two years of collective action. In April 2020, Pandemic Action Network formed to end the current pandemic as quickly as possible and ensure the world is prepared for the next one. 

Starting with 25 partners, the Network was built on a core operating assumption: Pandemics are too big, too numerous, and too complex for any one single stakeholder or sector to tackle alone. Two years in — and now in year three of the COVID crisis with over 250 partners around the world — that assumption is even more true.

Over the past two years, we have intentionally built Pandemic Action Network to be a diverse and agile group of partners — a global advocacy platform — where we can drive consensus for action without being hampered by the need to be consensus-driven. Today, we’re at an inflection point in the fight to end the COVID crisis and ensure a pandemic-proof future.

Our Year Two Impact Report focuses on the power of the Network Effect — our unique ability to harness the capacity, expertise, and influence of our diverse and growing group of partners across sectors and geographies to accelerate an end to the COVID crisis for everyone and advance meaningful change to pandemic proof our future. 

In practice, the Network Effect is fueled by a platform that is built for sharing timely information and intelligence, active brainstorming and strategizing, convening of experts and key stakeholders, openly connecting across traditional silos and boundaries, i.e., organizations, markets, sectors, and geographies, and targeted communications and policy and advocacy resources. The result is that Network members are better supported, aligned, and (often most importantly) not alone in taking action. Among the most significant roles for the Network is ensuring that pandemic preparedness does not disappear from agendas as policy makers — but also global health advocates and change makers — as many move on to other priorities in the wake of the crisis phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, our collective efforts are more important than ever. 

Our Year Two Report details lessons learned, our progress and impact, priorities for action, and how we plan to evolve to tackle the challenges ahead. It is a reminder that the agenda ahead is ambitious to match the complexity of pandemics. Our Network Effect must grow in order to meet the challenges ahead. Together, we must be relentless and stay in the fight until we have translated the promises and commitments of this crisis into a future in which humanity is better prepared to deal with outbreaks and prevent a deadly and costly pandemic from happening again.

Read The Network Effect on Pandemic Preparedness & Response — Our Year Two Impact Report.

To all our partners, thank you for staying in the fight! If you are not a partner of Pandemic Action Network and you are interested in joining our collective effort, please contact us. 

State of Play Report: Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Africa

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its third year, African countries are grappling with the fallout from this multi-year crisis. The pandemic has exacerbated geopolitical, national, and social divides, setting back years of progress on health and gender equity, education, poverty reduction, and social progress. Health and social systems are strained, making us less prepared to respond to pandemics and other health crises.

Even as we look ahead, the COVID-19 crisis still looms. The pandemic underlines the urgent requirement across the continent for a New Public Health Order, championed by Africa CDC, and the need to build on lessons learned from previous epidemics.

The State of Play report from Future Africa Forum, documents lessons learned from recent epidemics, highlights challenges, and provides actionable and practical pandemic preparedness and response policy recommendations in an African context.

Read the full report.

Read the related policy brief.

 

An African Agenda for Pandemic Preparedness and Response — Policy Brief

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

As the COVID-19 pandemic persists into its third year, African countries are grappling with the fallout from this multi-year crisis. Widespread loss of life, enduring disability, and broader economic and social fallout of the COVID-19 crisis has made pandemic preparedness an urgent imperative. With momentum around the call for a New Public Health Order for Africa, there is a window of opportunity for substantial policy reform at national, regional, and global levels. This is a window that must not be wasted.

Developed by Future Africa Forum — An African Agenda for Pandemic Preparedness and Response — presents practical and actionable recommendations aimed at enhancing pandemic preparedness and response capabilities and capacities for African policymakers at both regional and national levels. The policy brief is anchored by the State of Play report, a systematic review of African regional policy documents and initiatives relating to pandemic preparedness and response and engagement of civil society stakeholders.

Read the full policy brief here. 

G20’s Time to Act: A Sustained and Accelerated Global Response to COVID-19

Posted on by Rafael Garcia Aceves

In advance of the G7 and G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meetings — taking place on April 20, 2022 in Washington, D.C. — 40 civil society organizations from across the world have called on G20 leaders and finance ministers to urgently ensure the global response to COVID-19 is sustained and accelerated. Meeting this goal remains a critical variable for the world’s recovery, security and stability.

Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors are strategically positioned to make the G7 and G20 political commitments a reality by articulating actions and funding. The decisions they reach in these meetings and those scheduled in the coming weeks — ahead of the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit — will reflect their true commitment to putting an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing another crisis of such kind and magnitude.

Concretely, this group of organizations has asked all G20 Finance Ministers to consider the following actions:

1. Finance the COVID-19 response and pandemic preparedness and increase transparency to enhance value for money.

  • Swiftly fund the most urgent needs of low- and middle-income countries so they can deliver national, regional, and global targets on vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, as well as delivery of all COVID-19 tools.

  • Fully fund COVAX’s Pandemic Vaccine Pool and delivery costs for all pandemic countermeasures through the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) and country levels.

  • Fully fund the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) five-year strategy, so we have a head start in beating future pandemic threats through R&D that is designed to put equitable access at the heart of global pandemic responses.

  • Facilitate increased transparency in the production, pricing, supply, financing, and delivery of pandemic countermeasures to track tools from production to patients.

2. Innovate to deliver new sources of financing for the global COVID-19 response and pandemic preparedness.

  • Stand up and sustainably finance a new Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness Fund in 2022 to jumpstart financing for country and regional preparedness for pandemic threats toward a target of at least US$10 billion annually. Gaps to focus on can be identified through the Global Health Security Index and country-led processes.

  • High-income countries should urgently deliver the US$100 billion in recycled Special Drawing Rights pledged by the G20 through Multilateral Development Banks and ensure these are leveraged for global health and climate finance without delay.

  • Ministers should also explore other sources of financing beyond Official Development Assistance — including via the Global Public Investment model — prioritizing ending pandemics as vital to the world’s economic and human security and stability. Investment in primary health care systems must be included to prevent and better respond to future pandemic threats.

Amid the pressing issues that the international community faces, we must intensify our work together to accelerate momentum on the global COVID-19 response and ensure comprehensive pandemic preparedness in all countries.

Read the full letter.

Activating Young Leaders to End the COVID Crisis and Pandemic Proof Our Future

Posted on by Hanna Hwang

COVID-19 has profoundly uprooted global norms. While the pandemic affects people across the globe, the impacts are different based on where you live and who you are. For the under-30s of the world, we will be hit hardest by long-term economic, social, and emotional stressors, and we will bear the brunt of the fallout if leaders fail to act on pandemic preparedness. With crises like global conflict, climate change, and potentially another deadly pandemic on the horizon, youth voices must be prioritized in change-making. 

Global leaders should engage and support youth in response to the current crises while advocating for future pandemic preparedness. Around the globe, 40% of 18 to 29 year-olds feel left out of designing or reforming public benefits and services. It is time to make space for new thought leadership, equip youth with the tools to address and mitigate pandemics, and invite them to the decision making tables. The onus is on youth to rebuild a more resilient global paradigm. Here’s how global leaders can support us:

  1. Tailor youth programming
    Use an intergenerational lens with youth-led and -designed programming to engage younger generations in responding to COVID-19 and working to prevent future pandemics. People under 30 account for half of the world’s population, so it’s important to engage with youth perspectives in pandemic programming. Review your organization’s pandemic preparedness and response initiatives to identify where you can incorporate youth voices and leadership to deliver on your goals more effectively.
  2. Step up and share the decision making power
    Two out of three countries do not consult young people as part of national development plans. This is an appeal to established leaders to give precedent for youth counsel. Advocating for the world to take pandemics seriously means providing youth-centered policy development and decision-making opportunities to support transparency, cooperation, and international disease monitoring and response structures. While established leaders must make space for younger leaders, this is also a call for youth to step up to the plate, advocate for pandemic preparedness across platforms, and hold international leaders accountable to their policy commitments. We need your voices to demand that future generations be spared from the impact of pandemic threats!
  3. Capitalize on youth social media savvy for pandemic response and preparedness
    We know that Gen Z is the first fully-global generation connected by digital devices and engaged in social media. But young people are more than just connected: they are savvy and have the potential to use their platforms to advance social good. Think about the K-POP fans who have organized around political activism. Now is the time to use the power and creativity of youth networks and partnerships to creatively break through, combat misinformation, and engage a broader audience on pandemic preparedness and response.
  4. Take action and amplify these youth engagement tools: 
    • Focus your energy on becoming a mentor with Global Health Me to connect with young global health professionals and students for a five-month mentoring opportunity.  

Every revolution in history has been led by young people. –Aya Chebbi

Build the Health Workforce Back Better to Prevent Future Pandemics

Posted on by David Bryden

Frontline health workers are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response but for too long health workers have largely been taken for granted. The assumption seems to be that they are already ready and able to jump into action, keep health services going, and scale up one or another specific health intervention.

Yet, of all the factors delaying access to COVID-19 testing, treatment, and care, health workforce challenges are the most cited bottleneck, according to a WHO survey of 129 countries. Vaccine delivery has also been delayed by workforce inadequacies.

WHO states that these challenges arise due to “a combination of pre-existing shortages [of health workers] coupled with unavailability due to COVID-19 infections and deaths, mental health issues and burnout and departures from service due to a lack of decent working conditions.”

The factor of gender cannot be ignored. The health workforce is largely female, and it is not a coincidence that remuneration for their labor is often inadequate or inconsistently provided. Only 14% of community health workers in Africa are salaried, with many considered “volunteers,” part of the broader injustice of women’s care labor not being compensated.

COVID-19 has shown this is not just theoretical. Now, and in future pandemics, we need a motivated and supported health workforce to ensure acceptance and delivery of vaccines, disease surveillance, and risk communication.

Join the Frontline Health Workers Coalition and partners for World Health Worker Week on April 4-8 to push donors and governments to do more to protect and support a resilient health workforce.

Here a few ways you can get involved in World Health Worker Week:

 

Photo courtesy of IntraHealth International.

Thank You

Posted on by Carolyn Reynolds

In this pandemic, when time bends and we forget what day, month, or even year it is, it seems impossible that we are about to enter year three of this devastating global crisis. When this started in early 2020, few of us thought we would still be here after all this time: facing another inequitable pandemic response, the spread of yet another dangerous variant, another surge in cases and deaths, another season of plans on hold, and more uncertainties for the future.

Yet amidst all the darkness, our partnership has been a bright spot. We have joined together in this collective space recognizing that the challenges are too big and too many for any one single stakeholder or sector to tackle alone. Week after week, month after month, together we are continuing to learn, navigate, and — most importantly — act on the twists and turns of this crisis, and hold leaders accountable.

So from our global Pandemic Action Network team
to all of our partners around the world and across sectors, THANK YOU.

Thank you for proactively collaborating to advance critical issues such as vaccine equity, transparency, sustainable financing, governance, and so much more.
Thank you for showing up and rolling up your sleeves to contribute your ideas and energy in our working groups.
Thank you for being generous with your expertise, intelligence, resources, influence, and precious time.

We know that pandemic fatigue has set in and that many organizations and leaders are already turning to other priorities. That makes our collective efforts through this Network even more essential. Our job is to stay in the fight and do whatever it takes to end this crisis around the world and to prevent a deadly and costly pandemic from happening again.

Thank you for staying in the fight with us. And we know it’s critical to make sure we all take a moment to rest and recharge to prepare for the next round. So here’s wishing you and yours a safe, healthy, and joyous holiday season and new year. We look forward to our continued journey together next year, and working to do whatever it takes to end this crisis and prevent the next.

Together, let’s make 2022 the year that we can finally turn the corner on this crisis and lay the foundation for a healthier, safer world.

Announcing the Pandemic Action Network Ambassadors Program

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

We all feel it — the widespread desire and urgency to move on from the pandemic that has engulfed our lives for nearly the past two years. But we will only move on when the work is done and the work is far from over. COVID-19 continues to rage around the world and leaders have yet to take the bold actions needed to ensure we are better prepared and protected from future pandemic threats. In the cycle of “panic and neglect,” — defined by initial response to the crisis, but failing to act on long-term lessons and actually change the contributing factors of the crisis — we are teetering on neglect.

Pandemic Action Network was built to ensure that we not only end this crisis for everyone around the world, but to prevent the old cycle of “panic and neglect” from happening again. To achieve these goals, our partnership of over 140 diverse organizations is working to create the ongoing political will needed for action.

Numbers and research insights are helpful, but alone they are not enough to drive leaders to do what must be done to end this crisis and prevent the next pandemic. Leaders need personal reasons to act — they need to hear the personal stories, experiences, and challenges of the ongoing realities of living through this pandemic because, while many want to look at COVID in the rear-view mirror, we know that this crisis is far from over and will persist without action.

That’s why we are launching our new Pandemic Action Network Ambassadors Program.

Pandemic Action Ambassadors come in many forms — those who worked on the frontlines, parents balancing child care alongside their day job, people who have lost loved ones, people who have lost livelihoods, and those who have seen the impact of political inaction. Pandemic Action Ambassadors are people who care, people who are willing to stand up and speak up about the urgency of ending this crisis, building systems at every level to prepare humanity for future health threats, and learning the lessons of this pandemic.

We invite these people to come together and share their personal experiences to help us advance COVID-19 response and pandemic preparedness. Along with a community of other Ambassadors, you will receive monthly emails with small but impactful ways to take action, the opportunity to connect with one another and engage in critical advocacy efforts. The priority application window is open through Tuesday, November 30 at 11:59pm ET. Apply now!

Your story and your voice are key to driving the progress we so desperately need. Together, we have the power to end this crisis and prevent the next pandemic.

A Radical Network — What We’re Learning in Collective Action

Posted on by Autumn Lerner

This pandemic has challenged our individual and collective assumptions of who we are, how we work, and what we want. Unprecedented challenges demand that we think and act differently. When we launched Pandemic Action Network in April 2020, it was with the knowledge that the challenges of pandemic preparedness and response are too big and too many for any one single stakeholder or sector, but together we can make an impact.

Over the past year, our Network has grown from 25 partners to more than 140 diverse partners spanning the globe, sectors, and points of view. To better understand how to make the most of our growing Network, we recently conducted a partner survey, to which 60 partners — from civil society organizations, private sector business, philanthropies, multilateral organizations, consultancies, and creative agencies — responded. Based on our survey and our day-to-day experience wielding the window of political opportunity to stay open, we’ve documented six lessons we’ve learned so, as our Network grows, we increase — not dilute — our opportunity for impact. Some are new revelations. Some are not. But they deserve to be documented again, lest we all forget. Now is certainly not the time to go back to business as usual.

Break, then smash, silos. Don’t get us wrong, we love expertise, but this work requires that we look beyond our own silos to share knowledge, identify opportunities, and act together. The Network is built to do precisely that. In our recent partner survey, on average, respondents shared that their work crosses into three Network focus areas. One partner shared, “We are grateful for our partnership and appreciate the ability to elevate our advocacy priorities into broader pandemic prevention and response policy discussions.” Pandemic Action Network is the connection point between various organizations, priorities, and discussions — the place where the dots and the roads connect.

It’s not about you and your brand. It’s about impact. Another way to say this is: check your ego. Our co-founder Gabrielle Fitzgerald recently wrote in Stanford Social Innovation Review about the power of putting ego aside, referencing Pandemic Action Network and the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa. She writes, in reference to our World Mask Week campaigns, “It didn’t matter whose hashtag got the most mileage. What mattered was, by the end of that week, billions of people around the world had heard that wearing a mask was one of the simplest and most valuable things they could do to protect themselves and other people. Had each of us prioritized our own individual campaigns, we never would have had that kind of reach.” As the pandemic persists, we call on all in our Network to continue to resist the urge to lead with ego and competition. When we set aside our own visibility, we can collectively amplify priority issues, calls-to-action, and messaging.

Slow down to go faster. We must admit, we are not always good at heeding this lesson;  “Action” is in our name afterall. But what is clear from our recent partner survey is that there is a deep need to pause, discuss big picture context, see around corners together, and make meaning of the messy details. One partner touted the value of “interactive brainstorming” when that has often been lost during our remote work lives. Together, we are seeking and finding value in the unstructured conversations — opportunities for growth and inspiration outside of the bubbles of our day-to-day priorities and patterns of our respective home offices. In response, we have refashioned our Coordination Meetings to be monthly “Virtual Stages” on big picture issues, trends, insights, and perspectives. Working groups balance it out with weekly and biweekly time to get in the trenches of strategizing and activating together. And, based on our recent survey, working groups are delivering on a number of levels. One partner defined the working groups as “the informal networking that is impossible during COVID.” Another shared, “Working groups give us a chance to network and discuss policies, health advocacy, as well as bringing insights and opportunities for us to be a part of creating the solutions with various communities.”

Take note of who is at the table. We’ve built a diverse ever-growing Network, but who do we see and hear from most? How can we be more intentional about leveraging the expertise of our full Network? This is our challenge ahead. From how we connect to how we communicate, we are focused on shining the light on and amplifying our partners.

How we show up matters. This work is challenging. We are here for the challenge, but also here for the rich benefit of working with brilliant, thoughtful, and generous people around the world. We will say again, because it is not said enough: kindness is key to this work.

Color outside the lines. Now is the time for bold thinking and action. If not now, when? This Network is here to be relentless in our effort to end the COVID-19 crisis for everyone around the world and ensure that this crisis leaves a legacy — one where humanity is better prepared to deal with outbreaks and prevent a deadly and costly pandemic from happening again. That takes a willingness to color outside the lines and creative solution-making.

As this pandemic persists, the Network is proving itself critical to the response to COVID-19, but also for what is to come. One partner noted, “I believe as the current pandemic subsides, it will be key to keep people engaged on the next topic, such as global health security or the public health system.” We agree. Every day we are inspired by the collective action of this growing Network. We are here to connect, collaborate, and catalyze impact together. If you have ideas on how the Network can be a platform for action on our shared goals, reach out!

Together, we achieve more.

The COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa Was Supposed to Be a Short-Term Solution: A Year Later, the Need is Still There

Posted on by Gabrielle Fitzgerald

BY GABRIELLE FITZGERALD, CEO AND FOUNDER OF PANORAMA & CO-FOUNDER OF PANDEMIC ACTION NETWORK

Over the past year, the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa distributed 81.6 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to almost 500,000 community health workers in 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa is a radically collaborative initiative that was co-founded by Pandemic Action Network, Community Health Impact Coalition, Direct Relief, Community Health Acceleration Partnership, and VillageReach.

“All regions are at risk, but none more so than Africa.” — WHO Director General Tedros

I previously wrote about some of the strategies­­ that have been vital to the success of this initiative: we formed a loose partnership, we moved fast and there were no organizational or individual egos. As a result, between August and December 2020, CAF-Africa was the fifth largest procurement mechanism of PPE in the world.

Where are we today?

Today, we are eighteen months into the global pandemic. Last week, the World Health Organization’s Director General Tedros said, “All regions are at risk, but none more so than Africa.” And Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the organization’s lead for Africa warned: “Be under no illusions, Africa’s third wave is absolutely not over . . . Many countries are still at peak risk and Africa’s third wave surged up faster and higher than ever before.”

Sadly, the stop-gap measure we put into place a year ago is still needed, and major systemic challenges remain:

  • There is still limited visibility into PPE needs at the country and global levels.
  • There is no single regional body that quantifies cross-country PPE needs, tracks pipeline, and aggregates needs and gaps.
  •  The PPE market remains fragmented.

In order to create sustainable solutions, we believe it’s critical to:

  • Invest in strengthening the procurement options available to support countries to meet their PPE and other supply needs, during the pandemic and beyond; and
  • Continue to explore models to pool the philanthropic dollars going to medicines and supplies for health workers.

This post originally appeared on Medium. 

Why Masking Up Matters More Than Ever

Posted on by Gabrielle Fitzgerald

By Gabrielle Fitzgerald, CEO and Founder of Panorama & Co-Founder of Pandemic Action Network

In May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) told vaccinated Americans they could take off their masks. Many public health officials and advocates, including the Pandemic Action Network, questioned this shift, especially as so many Americans remained unvaccinated. In response, Anne Hoen, an epidemiologist at Dartmouth College, said, “Wearing masks should probably be one of the last things we stop doing.” This statement has stuck with me. To protect the most vulnerable, the unvaccinated and actually stop the spread of COVID-19, we need to deploy all our tools until the end.

And when it comes to wearing a mask, the science is clear: masking in public can provide another layer of protection and help prevent the virus from spreading to others who aren’t protected, regardless of vaccination status.

Now two months after the CDC guidance shift, we are seeing accelerated spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant. In the U.S., every state is reporting increasing COVID-19 cases, thus demonstrating that relying on the honor system and local guidance alone is insufficient.

“Vaccines do not equal the end of the pandemic,” my Pandemic Action Network co-founder Eloise Todd shared with Forbes. “With vaccines and other precautions like face masks, we moved so close to normal. Why would we now move away from these measures?”

I agree. More than ever, it’s important that we stay focused on what can keep us all safe.

This month the Pandemic Action Network once again catalyzed our network of 130+ partners to ignite a global movement around the importance of continued masking.

With #ThanksForMasking selfies from leaders from Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, to Smita Sabharwal, WHO Director General Dr. Tedros, and Dr. Tom Frieden and key messages shared by organizations like UNICEF, Africa CDC, and 3M, this year’s World Mask Week campaign reached 250M+ people and was shared in 171 countries, or nearly 90% of countries around the world.

(Side note, if you’re interested in partnering with us to reach communities in the other 25 countries we didn’t reach, like Burkina Faso, Cyprus, and Chad, we’d love to talk!)

World Mask Week 2021 came at an absolutely critical time in the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries, like the U.S., with access to vaccines were in the process of opening up, dropping mask-wearing guidance, and ignoring the fact that the pandemic is very much not over for the majority of people around the world. In fact, countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, and many others in Africa and Latin America, are suffering some of their worst peaks of this pandemic yet. And, they are not alone, the more contagious Delta variant is sparking COVID-19 spikes around the globe, including countries with relatively high vaccination rates, such as the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

But sadly, we have moved away from consistent mask-wearing and World Mask Week was a reminder that not only should we continue to mask up, but we need clear and consistent masking guidance at the national level in order to stop the spread of COVID-19.

While World Mask Week turned up the volume of this key call-to-action, there is urgent work to be done to ensure masking up is fundamental to our collective COVID-19 response. The fact is not lost on us that World Mask Week concluded the day before the U.K. celebrated “freedom day.” And, here in the U.S., Los Angeles Country reinstated an indoor masking order amidst an alarming rise in coronavirus cases.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser, recently disclosed that U.S. health officials are actively considering a revision to the mask guidance. However, as of this article’s publish date, the Center for Disease Control has not updated their guidance for full vaccinated individuals. As we shared in a policy brief this month, masking still matters, and governments, businesses, and individuals all have a role to play in normalizing mask-wearing to protect those who are most vulnerable and to end this pandemic for everyone.

That’s why we’re so thankful for all of our partners who participated in World Mask Week this year and helped amplify our collective #ThanksForMasking call-to-action. And, we will continue to rally around this issue and not mask the truth when it comes to the importance of the simple and effective act of mask-wearing.

#ThanksForMasking and continue to mask up until we end this pandemic for everyone.

World Mask Week 2021 Catalyzes a Global Movement to Continue Masking Up

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

People, leaders, and organizations around the world rallied behind the ongoing importance of wearing a mask to stop the spread of COVID-19 and end the pandemic for all!

Pandemic Action Network, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union, 3M, and more than 70 partner organizations launched World Mask Week 2021 with two goals in mind. First to unite the globe around a simple message: masking in public is still one of the best ways we can protect ourselves and others against COVID-19. The second, to show gratitude for those who have masked throughout this pandemic and continue to do so via the message #ThanksForMasking.

World Mask Week came at a pivotal time in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Delta variant fueling Africa’s third wave, record numbers of cases in countries around the world, and increased spread from Indonesia and Bangladesh to Colombia and South Africa. The campaign was made even more relevant as the U.K. and U.S., countries with relatively high vaccination rates, debated masking guidance and reopening despite a marked increase in cases.

Over the course of one week — July 12-18 — World Mask Week met the moment.:

 

Beyond the conversation taking place on social media, Forbes published a strong piece about the importance of continued masking and featured quotes from Pandemic Action Network co-founder Eloise Todd alongside partner content. In addition, Triple Pundit made the business case for ongoing masking noting that “World Mask Week shouldn’t just be a 2020 or 2021 thing. Wearing masks has become one of the most effective ways to stall the spread of diseases, and companies seeking to check some ESG boxes would be wise to support such a global effort.”

What now?
While World Mask Week turned up the volume of this urgent issue, we still need clear and consistent masking guidance at the national level in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Pandemic Action team published a policy briefing called “Why Masking Still Matters” that includes key messaging regarding the importance of continued masking and recommendations for governments, businesses, and individuals. This document will drive Network-wide ongoing advocacy efforts to accelerate clear and consistent masking guidance.

Overall, we learned that responding with urgency is worth it. People around the world — especially those who are bearing the brunt of this raging pandemic — are eager to engage and be a voice for the importance of masking up alongside other interventions such as handwashing, physical distancing, and getting vaccinated when vaccines are available.

Thank you to all of our partners for their dedication to doing whatever it takes to keep the world safe from COVID-19. #ThanksForMasking.

For more information, visit worldmaskweek.com.

Pandemic Action Network Honored Among Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

In one year, Pandemic Action Network has come together as a bold catalytic coalition of more than 100 global multi-sector partners to inspire a change in the world, knowing that no single stakeholder can tackle pandemic preparedness or response alone. 

We are proud that Pandemic Action Network has been honored as a part of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas because changing the world is precisely the point of our collective efforts. 

World Changing Ideas is an annual social good awards program that elevates innovative projects and concepts that are tackling the world’s biggest challenges, from solving health crises and social injustice to economic inequality and more. Now in its fifth year, the awards have showcased ideas dedicated to making the world a better place.

Last year, COVID-19 shocked the world into awareness that we are not prepared for pandemics. This deadly, costly crisis — which has impacted every country around the globe — has also created a political opportunity for global action — a window that will close as the pandemic fades. 

Our Network is seizing this opportunity for action. We believe that every effort we make in the fight against COVID-19 should leave a longer-term legacy that better prepares humanity to deal with outbreaks and help prevent another deadly and costly pandemic from ever happening again. We know that the challenges are too big and too many for any one single stakeholder or sector, but our experience during our first year of collective action has proven the power of unlocking our Network model time and again.

As we navigate the second year of this pandemic, the work of our Network has only begun and is more urgent than ever. The current crisis in India and the spread of more infectious variants show that we are in a race against time and that the gravity of the challenge demands a step change in the ambition of world leaders. Together, Pandemic Action Network is catalyzing solutions, amplifying opportunities for action, and accelerating an equitable response to this pandemic while seizing every opportunity to put pandemic prevention and preparedness on the agenda so that we can create a pandemic-proof world for future generations.

Lessons Learned — One Year of Collective Action 

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

One year ago, we launched Pandemic Action Network knowing that no single stakeholder or sector can tackle pandemic preparedness or response alone. Together, over the past year, our innovative Network has learned lessons and achieved progress while remaining agile to act amidst an ever-changing political landscape and compounding social crises. 

To mark our one-year anniversary, we are reflecting on the lessons learned during our first year of collective action. Our work has only begun, but together we are making progress and seizing every opportunity to put pandemic prevention and preparedness on the agenda.

Fill the policy & advocacy action gap.
Our co-founders and partners understood at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that the global response to COVID-19 would be full of gaps, and someone needed to leap into action to fill them. By building relationships across sectors and translating data into clear messaging and policy recommendations, we enable decision-makers to take actions that will drive more effective pandemic preparedness and response. 

Unlock the Network to maximize impact. 
We knew that the challenges were too big and too many for any one single stakeholder or sector, but our experience during the first year of collective action has proven the power of our network model time and again. Whether amplifying the call for vaccine equity through ONE’s Pandemica campaign, informing the work of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, catalyzing a movement to reach 3.5 billion+ people during World Mask Week, supporting Global Citizen and the European Commission’s fundraising effort for the ACT Accelerator, joining forces with partners to form the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa to fill the PPE gap for community health workers, or influencing the Biden-Harris administration’s agenda on pandemic preparedness, we are demonstrating what is possible when you unlock the power of our global network. Together, we do achieve more.

Amplify, don’t compete. 
In one year, we have built a robust and growing global multi-sector network of more than 100 partners to be the agile platform required to address a crisis of this magnitude. While individual members may not be able to take certain stands or advance certain actions, together we have witnessed the Network’s ability to hold global leadership accountable and drive change, as we have done with our collaborative call to COVAX to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to world leaders to share excess doses. At the end of the day, we are able to mobilize action by ensuring that we are delivering the right message via the most strategic set of messengers at the right time. 

Messaging matters. 
Storytelling moves people to action. The pandemic has shown the power of consistent and clear communication and the influence of misinformation. It’s no surprise that the WHO declared an infodemic before declaring a pandemic. While focusing on policies that would accelerate an end to the pandemic, the Network has also prioritized the role that communication plays in shaping individual choices and collective policies. Whether creating #AfricaMaskWeek to rally the continent — and particularly youth — around the importance of ongoing masking, or educating influencers in the U.S. with the facts on COVID-19 vaccines with #ItsOurShot, we know that messaging continues to be critical to both navigating the vaccine era of this pandemic and ultimately stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Learn and adapt in real time. 
Just as epidemiologists must learn quickly and integrate new data into their strategies, our Network has learned to be nimble and adapt our strategies based on new information and developments in real time. We have swiftly managed our advocacy strategy around U.S. House and Senate bills and EU opportunities, and pivoted our masking communications strategy taking into account shifting public behaviors and public health guidance. The rapidity with which we have scaled and advanced our work hinges on the Network’s ability to be agile based on the direction of political winds and data-driven learnings.  

Seize every opportunity to put pandemic prevention and preparedness on the agenda.
As we continue to operate in the midst of a pandemic and observe fatigue on a personal and political level, our work is even more urgent. We are collectively driven by the need to stop the cycle of panic and neglect once and for all. We have the opportunity to codify lessons and stop recreating the pandemic response playbook every time there is an outbreak, and we know that we have the best possibility of achieving these objectives when there is strong and sustained political will to do so. Therefore, we have been leveraging the attention devoted to the COVID-19 response to simultaneously advance our longer-term agenda calling on world leaders to take action now to effectively pandemic-proof the planet for the long-term. 

Long-term commitment is essential. 
As we navigate the second year of this pandemic, it is clear that our work is far from done. We are making collective progress, but we know that this is just the beginning of a long-term effort to ensure a global and equitable response to this pandemic while ensuring that preparedness is always a priority, not only a priority when we are in crisis. 

Africa Mask Week Sparks Community Engagement to Keep Masking

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

Youth, government and public health leaders, celebrities, and people across the continent united around the importance of mask wearing to slowing the pandemic.

During the last week of November, leaders and communities across Africa rallied around an important and critical idea: Keep masking. When we wear a mask, we are protecting our friends, our families, and our communities. 

Africa Mask Week came at a critical time, when data showed COVID-19 cases on the rise, but adherence to masking and other behaviors known to stop the spread waning due to pandemic and prevention fatigue. Between November 23 and 30, 2020 the Pandemic Action Network, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the African Union Office of the Youth Envoy, the African Youth Front on Coronavirus, and Resolve to Save Lives organized the online campaign encouraging people across the African continent to wear masks and stem the spread of COVID-19. In the weeks since, the effort has sustained on social media and moved to offline fora and communities in 50 out of 54 African countries. 

Over the span of two weeks:

  • The campaign reached more than 299 million people with more than 187 million social media impressions and 112 million traditional media impressions across 106 countries. 
  • Preliminary results have shown an 18% increase in mask-wearing social posting activity compared to the previous period.
  • During the campaign, “community” was the most popular term in social posts, while #AfricaYouthLead was a popular tag alongside #AfricaMaskWeek.
  • The top post came from social media influencer Ihssane Benalluch, promoting mask wearing in English and Arabic.

 

This effort was driven by 75+ global, regional, national, and local partners via a social media partner toolkit with content in English, French, Arabic, Swahili, and Portuguese. Participating partners included Africa CDC, the AU Youth Envoy, Resolve to Save Lives, CORE Group, the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa (CAF-Africa), Gavi, Global Health Corps, Global Health Strategies, the Global Health Technologies Coalition, GOAL, Goodbye Malaria, HEA Sports, Jhpiego, Last Mile Health, MSH, ONE, PATH, the Rockefeller Foundation, Southern Africa Youth Forum, Sport Connect Africa, UNICEF, UNITE, USAID, VillageReach, WHO African Region, Weber Shandwick, the World Bank, and the World Economic Forum.

The campaign launched with an Africa CDC virtual launch discussion featuring Africa CDC Director Dr. John Nkengasong, AU Youth Envoy Aya Chebbi, and Pandemic Action Network Co-founder Gabrielle Fitzgerald, and has had 3.2K views to date. 

At the launch of Africa Mask Week, Dr. Nkengasong articulated the challenge, “We may be tired. We may have prevention fatigue, but I can assure you the COVID-19 virus is not tired.” Until there are vaccines or medicines to fight COVID-19, wearing a mask is one of the best tools we have, especially when combined with physical distancing and hand washing. 

But arguably the biggest success of this campaign has been its offline reach across local and regional communities, thanks to the many in-country health institutions and NGOs working at the community level to disseminate mask-wearing messaging. Groups like the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Amref Health Africa, Development Media International (DMI) and so many more have folded these messages into their public health communications and community engagement efforts, ensuring that the importance of ongoing mask-wearing is emphasized among a wider audience.

We are grateful to the energy and efforts of all of our partners, and look forward to seeing this momentum continue through the new year. When we work together and #WearAMask, we can help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.

Pandemic Action Network’s Statement of Support for Full Funding of the Act Accelerator

Posted on by Carolyn Reynolds

Statement from Carolyn Reynolds and Eloise Todd, Co-Founders, Pandemic Action Network

“Today was anToday was an important step forward for global solidarity and toward the global goal of ensuring safe, equitable and affordable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for COVID-19 as soon as possible.  The Pandemic Action Network warmly welcomes funding commitments from Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the World Bank that will help deliver more COVID-19 tools in developing countries. We urge all governments and international funders to follow their lead and ensure full funding for the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.  In addition, we strongly commend the unprecedented communique signed by the CEOs of 16 pharmaceutical companies and the co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, committing to enable affordability for lower income countries and to support effective and equitable distribution of innovations globally, while ensuring public confidence in those innovations with a commitment to safety. As the communique rightly says, these commitments will not only enable a faster path out of the current COVID-19 crisis but will also lay the foundation for a strong pandemic preparedness ecosystem the next time a pandemic arises.”

World Mask Week Sparks Global Movement

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

Leaders and people around the globe and across sectors unite around the importance of mask wearing to slowing the pandemic

 

When the Pandemic Action Network, WHO, Africa CDC, CDC and CDC Foundation, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Facebook, Google, Global Citizen and 40+ partner organizations announced the launch of World Mask Week (August 7-14), we hoped for a rally around the simple behavior people could adopt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

While the full accounting of the reach and engagement around World Mask Week will emerge in coming days and weeks, here’s what we know now: the world was ready and hungry for this moment. In 117 countries around the world via media coverage and social media, from business leaders to government leaders, and from celebrities to people living their daily lives– we’ve seen an outpouring of support for wearing masks in public to help put an end to this pandemic.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus kicked off the movement with the #WearAMask challenge marking the beginning of World Mask Week and asking people to share pictures and videos of their masks. And from there, the momentum continued to build with more than 800 thousand views, 4.6K+ shares and 7.8K likes to date on Twitter.

Africa CDC announced World Mask Week at a press briefing, followed by a Pandemic Action team presentation during a training on infection prevention and control for COVID-19 for 260 journalists. Our colleagues on the continent also reached out to more than 200 sports journalists with tailored messaging and encouraging their participation in the challenge issued by Dr. Tedros. World Mask Week has inspired planning for a regional campaign with Africa CDC to promote masks across the region.

World Mask Week partners from across the global shared content on social media including Africa CDC, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Breakthrough ACTION, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, CDC, CDC Foundation, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Federation of American Scientists, FIND, GHTC, Global Citizen, Global Health Strategies, Johnson & Johnson, Kolisi Foundation, Last Mile Health, MSH, NFID, NTI, NYAS, ONE, PATH, PSI, UN Foundation, UNICEF, and many, many more.


Sample media coverage from 31 countries includes USA Today (times two!), Good Morning America, Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle/MSN, Yahoo News, Modern Ghana, The Sun in Nigeria, Armenia Public Radio, OTV in India, International Daily News in China and Orel Times in Russia just to name a few.

Tech partners like Facebook, Google and Amazon have also centered World Mask Week. Facebook shared #WearAMask on their platform and amplified the message via their leaders including Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and Naomi Gleit. Google posted a #WearAMask Google Doodle and shared World Mask Week social posts across their channels, as did Amazon.

Business leaders and businesses including Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, Kenneth Cole, Rite Aid, KFC Russia, and Viber also shared messages for World Mask Week.

World Economic Forum and their Global Shaper (over 9,500 members) and Young Global Leader (1,300 members and alumni) networks joined the effort on social media, while also featuring a blog post by Pandemic Action Network Co-Founder Gabrielle Fitzgerald and Rajeev Venkayya, President of Global Vaccine Business Unit, Takeda sharing why wearing a mask is the most important thing we can do right now. This was also shared on their COVID Action Platform.

The gaming industry, under its #PlayApartTogether initiative, integrated World Mask Week messages and images into its games. Zynga, for example, through its popular Words With Friends 2 app launched World Mask Week with MASK as their World of the Day. The Episode app, a mobile storytelling platform where users choose the path of their story, promoted World Mask Week to its users.

FOX’s hit show The Masked Singer also joined the World Mask Week fun! They featured a special #WearAMask PSA for World Mask Week, and judge/comedian Dr. Ken Jeong posted on social. Throughout the week, FOX affiliates across the U.S. aired stories about the PSA and World Mask Week, including Good Day LA.

iHeartMedia also spotlighted the week, noting for their program directors: “…trending on social media with all demographics are posts about World Mask Week”.  The iHeart Communities podcast with Ryan Gorman interviewed Linda Venczel, Director, Global Health Security at PATH that was broadcasted 185 times across the country. Kang-Xing Jin, Head of Health at Facebook also participated in an interview with Gorman that aired on stations around the U.S. over the weekend.

The Pandemic Action team published a policy briefing called “Why Masks Matter” explaining the growing global evidence for wearing a mask in public. Read a blog post from Co-Founder Eloise Todd to learn more. And just this week we’ve seen national and local governments adopt public mask mandates, including Ireland and the city of Brussels, with calls for a national mask mandate by leaders in the United States.

The US Congress also joined in World Mask Week and took up the #WearAMask challenge.  Senators  Toomey (R-PA) and Bennet (D-CO) kicked off the challenge in Congress and urged other Senators and Representatives to champion the message to their constituents, with their bipartisan resolution to encourage Americans to #WearAMask.  Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) also introduced a similar resolution in the House of Representatives to designate August 7-August 14, 2020 as World Mask Week.

Leaders from across the globe joined the conversation including Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London; Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister of Sweden;  Judy Monroe, President of the CDC Foundation; Dagmawit Moges, Minister of Transport, Ethiopia; Dr. Jerome Adams, US Surgeon General; Dr. Robert Redfield, US CDC Director; US Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV); US Representative David B. McKinley (R-WV); and many more.

Building on the Network’s #MaskingForAFriend campaign started in April, influencers and celebrities joined the World Mask Week movement including Kristin Chenoweth, Iris Apfel, Mayim Bialik, Billie Jean King, Tenille Arts and others. We welcome all performers, athletes and other influencers to continue to role model mask-wearing, because we’re all in this together!

 

The impact of this massive rally – this show of global solidarity – will reveal its impact as we see increases in people habitually wearing masks, in policies that mandate mask-wearing in public and in community-efforts to increase access to PPE, such as the COVID-19 Action Fund for Africa.

For this to occur, the momentum must continue! While the spark ignited during World Mask Week, the energy, collaboration, and efforts must extend beyond the week. And we know that you – the partners and supporters of the Pandemic Action Network – are up for the challenge! You have already done so much, had such a massive impact, and we know that you will continue to help put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And for that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

For more information, visit worldmaskweek.com.

Global Advocacy and Communications Effort Launched to Drive Action Against COVID-19 and Stop Future Pandemics

Posted on by Pandemic Action Network

South Africa’s Rugby World Cup Winning Captain Siya Kolisi kickstarts behavior change efforts “For Humankind”; calls on other stars from sports and screen to continue to rally around protective actions, like #MaskingForAFriend

April 22, 2020, Seattle, WA – A network of leading international organizations announced today the creation of an advocacy initiative to ignite a global movement to help accelerate an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance our preparedness to stop future pandemics. The Pandemic Action Network will advocate for policy changes and increased support and resources to ensure countries are better prepared to prevent, detect and respond to pandemic threats. This initiative will also host “For Humankind”, a new effort to promote accurate information to ensure people around the world understand what they need to do to protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the extreme fragility in the ability of the world’s systems to respond to a new and highly infectious pathogen. While public health experts have been making this case for years, there has not been complementary policy, advocacy and communications support to create the political will necessary for policy and funding changes to enhance our preparedness.

This effort is being created with support from founding members the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Johnson & Johnson, in addition to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Schmidt Futures. The Network will initially comprise of a dedicated and highly experienced secretariat and key advocacy leaders in Seattle, Washington DC, Brussels, London and Beijing. They will work in partnership with individuals and organizations around the world to advance a robust policy and advocacy agenda.

The Pandemic Action Network will steer this shared agenda, with three overarching objectives:

  • Ensure full funding for the global and country-level COVID-19 response and future pandemic preparedness 
  • Strengthen the global health security architecture for more effective pandemic preparedness and response
  • Accelerate research, development and access to innovations to combat COVID-19 and emerging pandemic threats

A core principle of the Pandemic Action Network is that ‘no one is safe until everyone is safe,’ meaning an equitable global lens is crucial for a successful response. “West Africa’s devastating Ebola epidemic showed us that the world must come together to ensure countries are prepared for outbreaks, including that health workers on the frontlines have the gear and training they need to keep safe and keep serving,” said Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Health Workforce. “Decisive political leadership and global cooperation will determine if we win the war against this invisible enemy, which is why we need the Pandemic Action Network.”

The Pandemic Action Network will be counseled by an international expert advisory council that will initially include Professor Peter Piot, currently director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and previously founding executive director of UNAIDS and the co-discoverer of the Ebola virus, and Dr. Judy Monroe, head of the CDC Foundation, an independent nonprofit that mobilizes philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work; among others. Additional experts will be announced.

“It’s critical that the philanthropic, public and private sectors work together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Judy Monroe, MD, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “And it’s clear that a coordinated effort is needed to prepare for, and hopefully prevent, the next pandemic. The CDC Foundation is pleased to join the Pandemic Action Network in this goal.”

Private sector support for the Network is led by founding member Johnson & Johnson. The company has been actively engaged in fighting pandemics for more than a century, first introducing the epidemic mask in 1919 to help contain the Spanish Flu. In January it rapidly mobilized its scientific expertise and extensive partnerships to tackle COVID-19. “While we focus on stopping COVID-19 now we must also keep one eye to the future and ensure we are learning from this experience and applying those lessons.  Effective, sustained and coordinated advocacy about the policy and system reforms necessary to prevent future outbreaks will be critical to ensure this happens,” said Adrian Thomas, M.D., Vice President, Global Public Health at Johnson & Johnson. “That’s why the world needs the Pandemic Action Network.”

The Pandemic Action Network will also serve as a hub for expert global communications efforts to amplify public health messaging needed to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Its first digital communications campaign, #MaskingForAFriend, will amplify consistent, accurate messaging endorsed by leading public health officials to make sure people know how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19 by using homemade cloth face coverings.

“Everyone has a part to play in protecting the public’s health. We all have agency,” said Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of the Moore Foundation. “We can use our ingenuity and know-how to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure, create better ways of meeting social needs, reduce the burden of disease, and overcome the dislocation and hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The campaign will initially launch in the United States and South Africa to help increase understanding on the need to use cloth face coverings in public, along with continuing other protective measures like social distancing and handwashing. The Pandemic Action Network will provide an open source global platform for public health messages and materials to be used worldwide. Planned expansions include India and countries in Africa, Europe and South America.

Siya Kolisi, captain of South Africa’s Rugby Team, kicked off the effort, calling on the public in both countries to wear a mask outside their homes to protect others from contracting the virus. Siya, and other influencers like Andy Cohen and Annie Potts, have started posting about how they are #MaskingForAFriend. They also encourage others to join the movement by spreading the word about wearing homemade masks, and sharing a selfie image or video wearing a cloth face covering during essential errands or making masks using the hashtag #MaskingForAFriend.

“I am proud to use my platform to share accurate health information with as many people as possible to help stop this virus in its tracks,” said Kolisi. “As a captain, I now call on other sports leaders to model good protective behavior – whether it be staying home, washing hands or covering your face. We need to do it ‘For Humankind.’”

The Pandemic Action Network is composed of experienced leaders in global advocacy, policy and communications based around the world. It is the brainchild of Gabrielle Fitzgerald (CEO, Panorama), Carolyn Reynolds (Distinguished Fellow with The George Institute for Global Health and Senior Associate with the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS), Eloise Todd (formerly of ONE Campaign and Best for Britain) and David Kyne (CEO of Evoke KYNE, a firm that specializes in international behavior change communications activities, including past efforts during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa). They will be joined by Greg Propper from social impact firm Propper Daley.

“We have known for many years that a pandemic could occur at any point,” said Gabrielle Fitzgerald, CEO of Panorama, a Seattle-based action tank, and co-founder of Pandemic Action Network. “As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, we must build and sustain political will to ensure that policies are put in place, and funding is made available, to ensure all countries are better prepared for the next outbreak.”

The growing list of multilateral organizations, private companies, foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector joining the Network include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CDC Foundation, Evoke, Evoke KYNE, Federation of American Scientists, Global Citizen, Global Health Strategies, Global Health Technologies Coalition, Goodbye Malaria, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, iHeart Media, Johnson & Johnson, Last Mile Health, Management Sciences For Health, NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative), ONE Campaign, PATH, Panorama, Project Everyone, Propper Daley, Schmidt Futures, The Kolisi Foundation, UN Foundation, Wellcome and #PlayAPartTogether, a group of more than 70 gaming companies.

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Media contacts:

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