GAYLE SMITH

Gayle Smith é a presidenta e directora executiva de ONE , un movemento global que fai campaña para rematar coa extrema pobreza e as enfermidades previsibles, e que preme aos gobernos en todo o mundo para que aproben e financien políticas e programas que axudan a salvar decenas de millóns de vidas.

Smith é unha das expertas máis destacadas do mundo en desenvolvemento global. Foi administradora da United States Agency for International Development (USAID); previamente foi asistente especial do presidente Obama, e directora principal para o Desenvolvemento e a Democracia no U.S. National Security Council. Tamén foi asistente especial do presidente Clinton, e directora principal para asuntos africanos no U.S. National Security Council.

Anteriormente, entre outras actividades, fundou o programa de seguridade sostible no Center for American Progress, e cofundou o proxecto ENOUGH e a Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. Tamén traballou como xornalista e con ONGs en África durante máis de 20 anos. En 1989 gañou o World Journalism Award do World Affairs Council, en 1991 o World Hunger Year Award, e en 1999 gañou o Samuel Nelson Drew Award do U.S. National Security Council pola súa Contribución Distinguida na busca da Paz Global.

É orixinaria de Bexley, Ohio, e obtivo unha licenciatura pola Universidade de Colorado en Boulder.

Gayle Smith leva meses falando con moita franqueza con respecto á xestión da crise do Coronavirus por parte dos líderes mundiais, que por agora fracasaron en mobilizar o diñeiro e as ferramentas que se precisan.

O impacto da pandemia na saúde e na economía mundial despois de case un ano é devastador, con cerca de 2,5 millóns de mortes, case 110 millóns de contaxiados, e un aumento masivo do desemprego. Non obstante, aínda non existe un plan global coordinado para combater o virus e mitigar os danos, e como resultado, estendeuse a duración da pandemia e déuselle ao virus moita marxe para propagarse e mutar.

Os países máis ricos do mundo van camiño de acumular máis de 1 billón de vacinas por riba das que necesitan para vacinar a toda a súa poboación, como resultado de priorizar as súas propias necesidades a costa doutros países e da recuperación global. O resto do mundo só puido conseguir 2,5 billóns de vacinas, deixando a moita xente con moi poucas posibilidades de ser vacinada este ano. O exceso de doses que adquiriron os países ricos serían suficientes para vacinar a toda a poboación adulta de África.

Os líderes das nacións máis adiñeiradas non lle fan ningún favor á súa propia poboación acaparando vacinas. Se o virus continúa espallándose en calquera parte do mundo, o risco de novas variantes aumenta, e a enfermidade pode evolucionar ata inutilizar as vacinas e os tratamentos que foron desenvolvidos ata agora. Se as nacións ricas continúan monopolizando as vacinas en lugar de asegurar que se distribúan globalmente, é posible que haxa o dobre de mortes, e podería supoñer un custo para a economía global de ata 9,2 trillóns de dólares, a metade dos cales serían asumidos polos países ricos.

Australia, Canadá, Xapón, o Reino Unido, EE.UU, e a UE deberían comprometerse a actuar segundo os Principios para o Reparto de Doses de Vacinas de COVID-19 e a asociarse coa COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) para unha redistribución equitativa das doses compartidas. Tamén deben predicir cando os programas de vacinación nacional alcanzarán o 20%, e empezar a compartir o exceso de doses a continuación simultaneamente. Ademais deben absterse de cláusulas contractuais en tratos bilaterais que impiden a doazón de vacinas a outros países.

É sorprendente que esta semana se vaia a producir a primeira reunión dos líderes do G7 dende o inicio da pandemia. Gayle Smith envioulles unha mensaxe para que deixen de ir cada un polo seu lado, co enfoque “cada país que se salve como poda” que adoptaron ata agora, e inicien unha estratexia global máis equitativa e epidemiolóxicamente intelixente.

Os líderes do G7 posúen as vacinas, as medicinas, os medios para producir suficiente cantidade para protexer ao mundo enteiro, a capacidade loxística para levalas a tódalas esquinas do planeta, e as ferramentas financeiras para asegurar que tódolos países inicien os pasos necesarios para limitar danos económicos a maiores.

Ademais do problema das vacinas e do impacto económico, a campaña de ONE tamén se centra no problema da cantidade e a calidade da educación, pois debido ao Coronavirus moitos rapaces quedaron fóra da escola, e o ensino telemático non está dispoñible para todos. En moitos países en vías de desenvolvemento este problema é enorme, pois o 90% dos rapaces non saben ler ou entender unha historia simple ao cumprir 10 anos.

Unha pandemia global esixe unha resposta global, e o mundo precisa un Plan de Resposta á Pandemia para protexer aos máis vulnerables, apoiar aos traballadores esenciais, e facer que unha vacina estea dispoñible para todos; apoiar ás persoas máis afectadas economicamente; e fortalecer os sistemas de saúde para estar preparados se isto sucede outra vez. Agora os líderes do G7 poden aferrarse á oportunidade, o único que precisan é vontade política.

Gayle Smith is the president and CEO of ONE, a global movement that campaigns to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, and lobbies governments around the world to pass and fund policies and programs that help save tens of millions of lives.

Smith is one of the world’s leading experts on global development. She was an administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); she served previously as special assistant to president Obama, and senior director for Development and Democracy at the U.S. National Security Council. She served also as special assistant to president Clinton, and senior director for African affairs at the U.S. National Security Council.

Prior to that, among other activities, she founded the sustainable security program at the Center for American Progress, and co-founded the ENOUGH project and the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network. She has also worked as a journalist and with NGOs in Africa for more than 20 years. In 1989 she won the World Journalism Award from the World Affairs Council, in 1991 the World Hunger Year Award, and in 1999 she won the U.S. Samuel Nelson Drew Award from the National Security Council for Distinguished Contribution in Pursuit of Global Peace.

She is originally from Bexley, Ohio, and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Gayle Smith has been very vocal for months about the management of the Coronavirus crisis by world leaders, who have so far failed to mobilize the money and tools needed.

The impact of the pandemic on the world’s health and economy after nearly a year is devastating, with almost 2.5 million deaths, nearly 110 million infected, and a massive rise in unemployment. However, there is still no coordinated global plan to combat the virus and mitigate the damage, and as a result, the lifespan of the pandemic has been extended and the virus has been given plenty of room to spread and mutate.

The richest countries in the world are on track to accumulate over more than 1 billion of vaccines than they need to vaccinate their entire population, as a result of prioritizing their own needs at the expense of other countries and the global recovery. The rest of the world has only been able to get 2.5 billion vaccines, leaving many people with very little chance of being vaccinated this year. The excess doses that rich countries have acquired would be enough to vaccinate the entire adult population of Africa.

The leaders of the wealthiest nations aren't doing any favours to their own population by hoarding vaccines. If the virus continues to spread anywhere in the world, the risk of new variants increases, and the disease can evolve to the point of undermining the vaccines and treatments that have been developed so far. If rich nations continue to monopolize vaccines instead of ensuring that they are distributed globally, there could be twice as many deaths, and it could cost the global economy up to US$9.2 trillion, and half of that cost would be assumed by rich countries.

Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the EU should commit to act on the Principles for Sharing COVID-19 Vaccine Doses and partner with COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) for equitable redistribution of the shared doses. They should also project when national vaccination programs will reach 20%, and start sharing excess doses simultaneously thereafter. In addition, they must refrain from contractual provisions in bilateral deals that prevent the donation of vaccines to other countries.

It is surprising that the first meeting of G7 leaders since the beginning of the pandemic will take place this week. Gayle Smith sent them a message not to go their separate ways, with the every-country-for-itself approach they have adopted so far, and start a more equitable and epidemiologically smart global strategy.

G7 leaders have the vaccines, the medicines, the means to produce enough to protect the whole world, the logistical capacity to get them to every corner of the planet, and the financial tools to ensure that all countries take the necessary steps to limit further economic damage.

In addition to the issues of vaccines and the economic impact, the ONE campaign also focuses on the problem of the quantity and quality of education, since due to Coronavirus many kids have been left out of school, and online education is not available to everyone. In many developing countries this problem is huge, as 90% of kids cannot read or understand a simple story by the time they turn 10 years old.

A global pandemic demands a global response, and the world needs a Pandemic Response Plan to protect the most vulnerable, support essential workers, and make a vaccine available to all; support people worst hit economically; and strengthen health systems to be ready if this happens again. Now G7 leaders can grasp the opportunity, all they need is political will.