Fiocruz president is part of the Lancet commission on Covid-19

Fiocruz president, Nísia Trindade Lima, is one of the members of the Lancet Covid-19 Commission. Led by American economist Jeffrey Sachs, the commission is an interdisciplinary initiative that includes leaders in health sciences, business, finances, and public policies, to formulate recommendations to overcome the challenges brought by the pandemic.

“The Commission was created to help speed up global, equitable, and long-lasting solutions for the pandemic”, states Sachs in a commentary published last Thursday (9/7) in the Lancet. 

For the president, the invitation is demonstration of the international prestige of Fiocruz. “My representation will bring to the commission an integrated view of health, with a focus on health systems and the vision of one health that integrates biological, environmental, and social aspects. It will also means an opportunite to share the important knowledge collected by Fiocruz and the institutional role it is playing in the fight against the pandemic”, said Lima, the only Brazilian in the group.

The purpose of the Commission is to make recommendations to support the work of international agencies in four main themes. The first is to give recommendations to suppress the pandemic as quickly and decisively as possible. The second approaches ways to leave behind the humanitarian crisis caused by the pandemic, attempting to fulfill the needs of vulnerable groups, such as poor people, minorities, and the elderly. The third is to prevent the public health emergency from turning into a fulminating financial crisis for governments, companies, and families. Lastly, the group is looking for solutions to rebuild a post-pandemic world that offers more inclusion, justice, and sustainability.

“The work of the Commission will be supported by various task forces, in areas ranging from vaccine development to safe workplaces and global economic recovery”, explains the American economist leading the Lancet Covid-19 Commission.

The group intends to present periodical reports during the pandemic in order to provide updates, evaluations, and public recommendations. The first meeting took place on June 23 and the first suggestions by the commission should be presented in September, during the United Nations General Assembly. After that, partial reports are scheduled for January and July 2021, and a final report is to be issued in January 2022.

In the next 18 months, the Commission will be holding regional and global online seminars, open to the public in general and to specialists, to discuss its work and generate contributions and evaluations.

In addition to the Lancet, one of the world’s leading health journals, other partners of the project are the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). The group’s work is financed by the Rockefeller Foundation and by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

Click here to get to know all the members of the Commision.