Summary of the Event
Various factors determine a country's infectious diseases' death rate: the quality of leadership, the consistency in government's response, the availability of a responsive health care system, the extent of international travel, and the population's age structure. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs shares insights on how to judiciously manage and respond to future infectious disease threats through an integrated and resilient process.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jeffrey D. Sachs is a University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University .He is also the Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and a commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Dr. Jason J. McSparren is an educator, researcher, and administrator with a PhD. in Global Governance and Human Security from Massachusetts Boston.He is also a Pre-Doctoral Fellow (2017-18) for the West African Research Association (WARA).
Q & A (SELECTED)
Jason Mcsparren: Dr. Akinsemolu, mentions in her new book, The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science that the ONE HEALTH INITIATIVE is practicing and promoting sustainable public health as it works to prevent infectious disease outbreaks. Can you offer the audience some insight into how the One Health Initiative has minimized the outbreak and spread of diseases in developing countries?
Jeffrey Sachs: The idea of the ONE HEALTH INITIATIVE which is an excellent idea is that we face the ever present risk of new diseases spreading from animal reservoirs to humans and we are in the middle of that pandemic right now with COVID-19. This is a disease where the virus has its host especially in bats, and spread to humans either directly through interaction between bats and humans or from bats to some kind of intermediates mammal species available to humans. We should be taking care of this kind of risk because we keep experiencing this kind of zoonotic transmission from animals to humans. The ONE HEALTH INITIATIVE is trying to draw awareness and preparedness, clearly we haven’t succeeded. COVID pandemic is worldwide and it is killing vast number of people. When politicians ignore science like Trump does, people suffer and die.
Jason Mcsparren: Your latest book, Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (Columbia University Press, 2020) Takes readers through a series of seven distinct waves of technological and institutional change throughout human history, starting with the original settling of the planet by early modern humans through long-distance migration then progressing to your reflections on our globally networked modern society. What reflections would you like to share with us about our global-human society and the challenges of environmental sustainability?
Jeffrey Sachs: We have been interconnected as a species from the start over vast human distancing. In other words, from the first dispersal out of Africa until now we have been communicating, moving, and trading goods over huge distances. The whole has been for the benefits of humanity but also carries great risks too like the spread of infectious diseases or war and violence when the trade is not in goods and services but in movement of armies and trade of the killing. This is another side of Globalization, so the book is really a reflection on this interconnectedness, how they get the best of Globalization and how to avoid the worst. We have tried even in modern times at various points to stop Globalization, that has been a disaster but we have to learn how to cooperate too and how to cooperate at a global scale. That’s why I’m a big believer in the United Nations (UN) as vital force and that’s why extreme nationalist who are very arrogant and chauvinistic like Trump don’t like the UN because it would have the United State obey international rules not simply the President whims. This is all the more reason why we need the UN, when we see such an unstable person in power we need rules not just the discretion of individual with their armies under their command.
Jason Mcsparren: Great point, great point, yes, I would have to agree with you, I also support the idea of multilateralism in the United Nations and all of the other transnational organizations that, you know, the states around the world have put together, you know, the World Health Organization, et cetera, to protect citizens. And we are seeing a little bit of a fracture in that cooperation. So we are at some sort of an inflection point in not only our current society at home in the US, but also globally.
Jeffrey Sachs: I would say it's more than a fracture. It is an attempt by Trump and others to destroy these institutions, to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, to pull the United States out of the World Health Organization, to pull the United States out of the Human Rights Council. They want to break these institutions because they think that the world belongs to the powerful. They also think they're powerful. I'm not so sure, but they are destructive. And that's what they're trying to do, is to destroy these multilateral institutions.
Jason Mcsparren: OK, yes. Yes, that is an interesting observation. I really do hope and I think that our institutions are strong. They are under stress, and we'll see, you know, what the future holds for them. However, there are a lot of people watching us today that feel similarly to to you along those lines and really do support the UN in other transnational organizations.
Jason Mcsparren: Dr. Sachs, I have another question for you. This one relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The UN Sustainable Development Goals were inaugurated in 2015 about five years ago. Can you remind us of some notable achievements in the healthcare system across sub-Saharan Africa, and what are the challenges of health coverage in the high-income countries since the declaration of the SDGs? And, what are some remaining challenges?
Jeffrey Sachs: The idea of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is that everybody should be able to enjoy the benefits of modern technologies and economic progress and to live in an environmentally safe planet. We are obviously far from this. The SDGs are goals. They are aspirations and are not our current reality but they are also an inspiration for action. The SDG 3 calls for Universal access to health care and even in difficult circumstances in Africa, there has been an expansion of access to basic health care often through very creative means such as deploying Community Health Workers (CHWs) backed up by good information technology because CHWs can play a huge role in monitoring the health of the community and helping to connect people in need, suffering from illness, for example pregnant women with the health systems to get antenatal, safe delivery in child birth or to fight the battle of malaria. This is a very positive side and it’s these CHWs that are now in the front line of the fight against COVID-19 in Africa. This epidemic spreads easily, very dangerous, creates lots of deaths, it needs to be fought and the Africa’s health systems needs to be guided urgently so that this epidemic is contained.
Quotes
“Development aid and tax reform are the two most important ways to help poor countries to close their budget deficit”
“We face an ever present risk of new diseases spreading from animal
reservoirs to humans.”
Top Comments
Such an amazing conversation with Prof Jeffrey Sachs- Deborah
FURTHER READING
Jeffrey D. Sachs (2020) The Ages of Globalization Geography, Technology, and Institutions. Columbia University Press.
Jeffrey D. Sachs (2015) The Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia University Press.
Peter J Hotez, David H Molyneux, Alan Fenwick, Jacob Kumaresan, Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, Jeffrey D Sachs, Lorenzo Savioli (2007) Control of neglected tropical diseases. New England journal of medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society.