Can Reducing Inequality Lower the Risk of Pandemics?

The COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in nearly 7,000,000 deaths worldwide, was a catastrophic global health crisis. Its effects, although international, were not felt equally. Low income countries and marginalised people suffered disproportionately, and inequalities weakened countries’ ability to respond. 

This health inequality is not a new phenomenon. The AIDS pandemic, which has killed over 40,000,000 people in the last four decades, is a prime example of the inequalities and discrimination that marginalised communities suffer in the face of health crises. The experiences of those most affected by these diseases are a microcosm of the inequalities rife across the globe and, without solving these issues, pandemics will continue to overwhelm us. 

This Digital Dialogue, hosted by the Financial Times in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, explores the symbiotic relationship between global inequality and pandemics through the lens of the AIDS and COVID-19 crises. Panellists also discuss how the world can work to prevent devastating and discriminatory crises for good. 

The Cycle of Inequality

Which inequalities, both at the international and domestic levels, has the COVID-19 pandemic exposed?

 COVID-19 and AIDS

How did the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic differ from that to the approach to AIDS?

Closing the Health Gap

How can the international community work to close the health gap between high and low income countries?

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