The Joint Declaration agreed on at the July 22 COVID-19 teleconference among 13 foreign relations ministers of Ibero-America and the Caribbean and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is emphatic: the pandemic is a universal threat, and must be met by cooperation between all nations in order to confront the disease, build a world health community, and restore economic and social development by eradicating poverty. Geopolitics be damned.
The statement’s central premise, available on the Mexican Foreign Ministry website, is stated in the first of its seven points: “We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is a common challenge for all humanity…” The six points which follow all flow from that premise:
(2) Global access must be guaranteed to medications, vaccines and medical equipment, as called for in two cited UN resolutions. “We also recognize the leadership of World Health Organization in coordinating the global response to COVID-19…”
(3) Recognizing the importance of world public health to world peace and development, “we reaffirm our commitment to build a world health community which includes China and the LAC countries.”
