Former World Leaders on Pandemic Preparedness and Tackling Health Inequality in the Time of COVID-19

Gro Brundtland on the COVID-19 Crisis and Why Universal Health Coverage is Crucial to Prevent Future Pandemics

COVID-19  has exposed the vulnerabilities of our inherently interconnected existence. Tens-of-millions of confirmed cases and more than 2 million COVID-19-related deaths have so far been confirmed globally – the pandemic has impacted nearly every country in the world. If the crisis has taught us anything, it is that no one is safe until everyone is safe. This is why more and more people are recognizing the role Universal Health Coverage (UHC) could play in building resilient health systems and in promoting fairer, more inclusive societies.

In this episode, we ask, why is UHC a crucial component to the response to COVID-19, and what role does it have in future pandemic preparedness?

Co-hosts Hazami Barmada and Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland and Chair of The Elders) discuss how COVID-19 has changed our perspective on UHC and on humanity’s relationship with nature itself. They are joined by Gro Harlem Brundtland, Elder, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the World Health Organization.

What has COVID-19 taught us about under-investment in public health systems? Why is UHC a crucial part of pandemic preparedness? And how does health relate to wider issues such as conflict, poverty and inequality?

Speaker Biographies:

Gro Harlem Brundtland is former Prime Minister of Norway, former Director General of World Health Organization, and member of The Elders an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice and human rights.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, a medical doctor, was Norway’s first woman Prime Minister, serving a total of ten years as head of government between 1981 and 1996. She chaired the World Commission on Environment and Development – known as the Brundtland Commission – which articulated the principle of sustainable development for the first time at a global level. She was Director-General of the World Health Organization from 1998 to 2003, UN Special Envoy for Climate Change from 2007 to 2010 and, from 2011 to 2012, was a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel. Since 2018, Gro Harlem Brundtland has served as a co-chair of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, an independent monitoring and accountability body to ensure preparedness for global health crises.

Mary Robinson is former President of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice and human rights.

Mary Robinson was the first woman President of Ireland (1990–1997) and is a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997–2002). A tireless advocate for justice, she was President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002 to 2010. Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa from 2013-2014, stepping down in July 2014 to take up the post of Special Envoy for Climate Change. She continued in this post until the end of December 2015 which saw the successful conclusion of the COP21 Climate Summit and the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change. In 2016, Mary Robinson served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate.

Hazami Barmada is the Founder and CEO of the Humanity Lab Foundation and Executive Producer and Host of the Finding Humanity Podcast

Hazami is a social entrepreneur, thought leader, and public affairs and social impact expert recognized by Forbes as an “inspirational agent of change.” She has consulted for many leading global brands including the United Nations, United Nations Foundation, Aspen Institute, and the Royal Court of the Sultanate of Oman. She served as the Coordinator for the United Nations Secretary General's World Humanitarian Summit, an Advisor to the first-ever United Nations Secretary-General's Youth Envoy, as as a member of the UN's SDG Strategy Hub. Hazami has a Masters from Harvard University where she was an Edward S. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management. She studied social and public policy at Georgetown University and has a BA from Rhodes College in Anthropology and Sociology.

Finding Humanity is a production of Humanity Lab Foundation and Hueman Group Media. This series is produced in collaboration with The Elders.  

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