One thing that all annual reports have in common is that the events of the previous year are largely forgotten by the time they are published. It is good, therefore, that they remind us of what was important then and, more so, what remains important today. While the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our perception of what is most important in life, we must not forget that the problems that were foremost on our minds as survival issues of human societies in 2019 and are now in the global shadow of the coronavirus have not gone away.
In Syria, Yemen, the Congo, and in many other places around the world, the brutality continues, causing death, poverty and destruction on a daily basis—and humanitarian needs. In developing countries, there are still 2.6 million people dying of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria each year. This translates into more than 850,000 people losing their lives to these treatable diseases in the first four months of this year—almost five times the number of corona deaths in the same period. Half a million children a year do not survive an infectious diarrheal disease. For many women in developing countries pregnancy and birth are more cause for concern than celebration, as they can be life-threatening conditions, claiming hundreds of thousands of mothers’ lives each year. Every day, children still die from hunger—that is one every 10 seconds.
These are not statistics of relative importance; these are issues that must be viewed from a humanitarian and ethical perspective. This includes the encouraging fact that the situation 10 years ago was more dramatic still and that many development policy measures have since proved successful. Therefore, it is important now, more than ever, that we continue our commitment and action to protect these achievements.
There is much at stake here. For many people in developing countries the side effects of the coronavirus are likely to be much worse than the pandemic itself. Our aim, even in these uniquely challenging times, is to promote and strengthen a health system in a globalized world that curbs the spread of any disease and provides all people with equal access. It takes something in these unprecedented times to read how and where we were able to help all these months ago. Thank you for taking the time to do so—not for us, but for the people in the places and situations that were devastating even before the pandemic. Stay connected! (Introduction by the CEO Sid Peruvemba and Executive Board member Christoph Bonsmann)
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Source: action medeor
Annual Report 2019: Website
