With cases set to pass 100 million, public and private sector collaboration holds the key to an effective response and recovery from COVID-19.
David Henderson, Group Chief Human Resources Officer, Zurich
Almost 100 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide and more than 2.1 million lives have been lost as a result. The scale and challenges of the pandemic have been unprecedented at both a macro and micro level. At a personal level we have all felt the impact on our daily lives, sadly some of us more acutely than others. What we have learned, too often the hard way, is that increased collaboration across borders between governments and businesses is a critical component to an effective response and recovery. We have seen the enormous damage that can result from those in pivotal leadership roles who seek to make political capital an over-riding priority to the detriment of their management of the pandemic.
Yesterday, as part of the Davos Dialogues, I was privileged to hear directly from inspiring leaders who have each in their own ways been pivotal in the fight to save lives. Both Kriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece and Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden spoke to the need for integrated political thinking directly aligned to scientific advice. I was impressed by the Greek PM’s approach in Greece where from an early stage the scientific advice has been actively supported through actions and communications. Listening to Philips CEO Frans Van Houten, it is also clear that much greater collaboration and coordination between the public and private sectors can be hugely beneficial in supporting and accelerating the global recovery. Several key areas should be an immediate focus for the corporate sector as we look to support political endeavors:
I’m convinced that irrespective of the industry sector in which they operate, every single company has a role to play in the management of our recovery from this terrible pandemic and also in taking steps to ensure our disease preparedness is proportionate to the future risks we will face in our own and future generations. I hope that collectively we can learn the lessons, ask ourselves what more we can do to support pandemic preparedness and response and take the steps together to create a brighter and better future.
