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  • Fighting COVID-19 Through Solidarity and Cooperation Building a Global Community of Health for All

    What we are facing is the most serious global public health emergency since the end of World War II. Catching the world by surprise, COVID-19 has hit over 210 countries and regions, affected more than seven billion people around the world and claimed over 300,000 precious lives. I mourn for every life lost and express condolences to the bereaved families.

    The history of human civilization is one of fighting diseases and tiding over disasters. The virus does not respect borders. Nor is race or nationality relevant in the face of the disease. Confronted by the ravages of COVID-19, the international community has not flinched. The people of all countries have tackled the virus head on. Around the world, people have looked out for each other and pulled together as one. With love and compassion, we have forged extraordinary synergy in the fight against COVID-19.

    In China, after making painstaking efforts and enormous sacrifice, we have turned the tide on the virus and protected the life and health of our people. All along, we have acted with openness, transparency and responsibility. We have provided information to WHO and relevant countries in a most timely fashion. We have released the genome sequence at the earliest possible time. We have shared control and treatment experience with the world without reservation. We have done everything in our power to support and assist countries in need.

    Mr. President,

    Even as we meet, the virus is still raging, and more must be done to bring it under control. To this end, I want to make the following proposals:

    First, we must do everything we can for COVID-19 control and treatment. This is a most urgent task. We must always put the people first, for nothing in the world is more precious than people’s lives. We need to deploy medical expertise and critical supplies to places where they are needed the most. We need to take strong steps in such key areas as prevention, quarantine, detection, treatment and tracing. We need to move as fast as we can to curb the global spread of the virus and do our best to stem cross-border transmission. We need to step up information sharing, exchange experience and best practice, and pursue international cooperation on testing methods, clinical treatment, and vaccine and medicine research and development. We also need to continue supporting global research by scientists on the source and transmission routes of the virus.

    Second, the World Health Organization should lead the global response. Under the leadership of Dr. Tedros, WHO has made a major contribution in leading and advancing the global response to COVID-19. Its good work is applauded by the international community. At this crucial juncture, to support WHO is to support international cooperation and the battle for saving lives as well. China calls on the international community to increase political and financial support for WHO so as to mobilize resources worldwide to defeat the virus.

    Third, we must provide greater support for Africa. Developing countries, African countries in particular, have weaker public health systems. Helping them build capacity must be our top priority in COVID-19 response. The world needs to provide more material, technological and personnel support for African countries. China has sent a tremendous amount of medical supplies and assistance to over 50 African countries and the African Union. Five Chinese medical expert teams have also been sent to the African continent. In total, in the past seven decades, over 200 million people in Africa have received care and treatment from Chinese medical teams. At present, 46 resident Chinese medical teams are in Africa helping with COVID-19 containment efforts locally.

    Fourth, we must strengthen global governance in the area of public health. We human beings will eventually prevail over the coronavirus. Yet this may not be the last time a major health emergency comes knocking at our door. In view of the weaknesses and deficiencies exposed by COVID-19, we need to improve the governance system for public health security. We need to respond more quickly to public health emergencies and establish global and regional reserve centers of anti-epidemic supplies. China supports the idea of a comprehensive review of the global response to COVID-19 after it is brought under control to sum up experience and address deficiencies. This work should be based on science and professionalism, led by WHO and conducted in an objective and impartial manner.

    Fifth, we must restore economic and social development. While working on an ongoing basis to contain the virus, countries where conditions permit may reopen businesses and schools in an orderly fashion in observance of WHO’s professional recommendations. In the meantime, international macroeconomic policy coordination should be stepped up and the global industrial and supply chains be kept stable and unclogged if we are to restore growth to the world economy.

    Sixth, we must strengthen international cooperation. Mankind is a community with a shared future. Solidarity and cooperation is our most powerful weapon for defeating the virus. This is the key lesson the world has learned from fighting HIV/AIDS, Ebola, avian influenza, influenza A (H1N1) and other major epidemics. And solidarity and cooperation is a sure way through which we, the people of the world, can defeat this novel coronavirus.

    Mr. President,

    China stands for the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind. China takes it as its responsibility to ensure not just the life and health of its own citizens, but also global public health. For the sake of boosting international cooperation against COVID-19, I would like to announce the following:

    — China will provide US$2 billion over two years to help with COVID-19 response and with economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries.

    — China will work with the UN to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China, ensure the operation of anti-epidemic supply chains and foster “green corridors” for fast-track transportation and customs clearance.

    — China will establish a cooperation mechanism for its hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals and accelerate the building of the Africa CDC headquarters to help the continent ramp up its disease preparedness and control capacity.

    — COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good. This will be China’s contribution to ensuring vaccine accessibility and affordability in developing countries.

    — China will work with other G20 members to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries. China is also ready to work with the international community to bolster support for the hardest-hit countries under the greatest strain of debt service, so that they could tide over the current difficulties.

    To conclude, I call on all of us to come together and work as one. Let’s make concerted efforts to protect the life and health of people in all countries. Let’s work together to safeguard planet Earth, our common home. Let’s work together to build a global community of health for all!

    I thank you.

  • From fake news to infodemic: ain’t it high time we used social media responsibly?

    The alarm raised by the two UN high ranking officials is substantive and worrying at a time when the world is grappling with an “invisible enemy” that has spread like a wildfire in a forest across the borders of developed and developing world, disrupting life for the rich and the poor alike in big and small cities and plunging world economies.

    Users of social media platforms in Rwanda have witnessed cases in which institutions in the country had to intervene to urge the public to disregard false information circulating on social media and some internet sources.

    There were many, but the most recent and notable among them is a false statement of cabinet resolutions that spread from one WhatsApp group to another while there was no such a meeting at all. Fake news also went as far as spreading rumors that Rwanda had registered the first death related to Covid-19.

    The level at which false information “fake news” spreads around the world has reached an unprecedented level because with the increased internet connection, instant messaging services, and social media the world has become like a wired village where communities are closer to each other, and individuals much connected to each other that even a simple whisper can get far.

    The Global Digital Report (GDR) 2020 indicates that 4.54 billion (59%) have access to the internet and the number of active social media users stands at 3.80 billion which is 49% of the total world population.

    The latest figures by the Internet World Stats, a website that provides reports on internet access in the world, indicates that 5,981,638 Rwandans have access on the internet which makes them potential users and consumers of information on social media and other internet based channels. The most frequent social media used in Rwanda are Facebook, WhatsApp, twitter, youtube, Instagram

    The number of social media users is also expected to continue rising thanks to the Connect Rwanda, an initiative aimed at distributing smartphones to families that cannot afford to buy one. During the Connect Rwanda campaign, the Ministry of ICT and Innovation revealed that out of 2.8 million households existing in Rwanda 14% have at least one smartphone.

    According to Rwanda Media Barometer 2018, produced by RGB, the fiber-optic cable laid around the country is gradually increasing public access to “new media” or Social Media and other high-tech driven sources of information among other advantages.

    The benefits are immense. Service delivery is becoming faster and cost effective, communication, and information much easier, accountability, and transparency enhanced. And more importantly, people were able to work from home and deliver services during the lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

    On the other side, the irresponsible use and abuse of the information technologies and social media is also on the rise. With the new media, a user is both a content creator and publisher; they can record an audio, edit a video, create a text including any information they want, true or false and send it to the public through social media channels.

    In the case of the false information reporting the first Covid-19 death in Rwanda, a voice of someone pretending to be familiar with the case was shared on several WhatsApp groups until the information was refuted as a rumor.

    Some users tend to consume the information they get uncritically, go on to share it with friends, classmates, workmates, village mates. It could be hard for some users to detect false information because the authors use fake accounts of real institutions, photoshopped stamps, and letterheads that in some cases look like genuine ones.

    Some rumors are also created around existing issues, realities, and occurrences like in the case of the statement of cabinet resolutions that members of the public were anxiously waiting for. Lack of digital media literacy is also contributing to the lack of questioning over content consumed. People must carefully verify the sources of information whether they are credible before duplicating by sharing.

    Among the new media sources of information, we cannot ignore to talk about the explosion of Youtube channels some of which work as television stations. Some of the content carried using videos is fictional.

    We have seen some videos where the producers claimed they met with the devil eye to eye (Twiboneye satani imbona nkubone). These are fake news that are unethical and punishable under cybersecurity laws.

    Content creators on Youtube channels can increase their viewers without indulging in falsehoods which sometimes even instill fear among the population. In Rwanda’s case, Youtube content creators can make more profit than mainstream media if they concentrate on customized content that is valued by the audience.

    As I conclude, social media may be an effective tool or a harmful tool depending on how we users want it to be. However, as I observe it today, the problem lies in that there is a growing number of people using it irresponsibly. It is high time we learned to use social media responsibly and consume content shared thereon in a healthier way.