New architecture of global governance needs to emerge from ashes of covid-19

Chandigarh: Manish Tewari MP, Former Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Government of India and National Spokesperson Indian National Congress addressed a global Congregation of the Indian Overseas Congress (IOC) over Video Conferencing. 109 people from 51 countries participated in the Conference prominent among them being Sh. Sam Pitroda Chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress , Mohinder Singh Giljian President of the IOC – USA, Gurmeet Gill – President IOC US- Punjab Chapter, Aman Preet Aulakh President IOC Canada among others.

The principle objective of the Conference was to exchange views with colleagues around the world as to how governments in other countries were handling the Pandemic.

Mr. Tewari stressed upon the IOC leadership that the pandemic had provided a unique opportunity to organization’s such as the IOC to provide thought stewardship to the international community given the fact that the institutions of global governance had all but collapsed during the pandemic.

Mr. Tewari gave three examples of this collapse. The inability so far of the world community to be able to put together and commission an international investigation into the origin of COVID-19. He hoped that India would utilize the Presidency of the executive board of the WHO to put together an international coalition of countries and organization’s to compel China to give full and unrestricted access to a non-partisan team of international investigators to get to the bottom of COVID-19’s origin as to whether it made a natural species jump or was lab driven. The failure of the World Health Organization (WHO) to put out timely warnings and travel advisories in January 2020 and it’s kowtowing to China even insofar as naming the virus was concerned was yet another example of this collapse. Similarly when the pandemic was raging across the world in March the UNSC – United Nations Security Council was not allowed to meet and discuss the greatest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century so far as China held the rotating Presidency of the UNSC. This deliberate pussyfooting by China stymied a global response when it was most needed. Similarly the G-20 that was created in the aftermath of the Global Economic Meltdown came up absolutely short .

The response so far has been national, subnational if not completely local meaning thereby every nation for itself, every state/province for itself and finally every village and town on it’s own.

Mr. Tewari added that a new architecture of global governance needs to emerge from the ashes of COVID-19. He requested all the IOC Presidents to obtain a list from the Indian Embassy/ Consulate’s in their respective countries of people who are stuck there and want to return to India. Since there would be a lag in their evacuation the IOC should network with other Indian organization’s to provide all the requisite assistance to them especially facilitating their return back to India since many of the trapped persons were running low on cash and supplies.

Mr. Tewari thanked the IOC for their initiative. Among others Dr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman, Indian Overseas Congress, Harbachan Singh, Secretary General, IOC USA, Mohinder Singh Gilzian, President IOC, Gurmit Singh Gill, President IOC Punjab chapter USA, Ravi Chopra Senior Vice President IOC USA, Kamal Dhaliwal, President IOC UK, Rajender Dichpally, Gen. Secretary IOC, USA. Satish Sharma, Chairman IOC USA Punjab chapter, Gourishankar SR, from Dallas USA, Dr. Sonia ji from Sweden, Amarpreeth Aulakh from IOC Canada, Balwinder Singh from Germany, Elezabeth Lawrence IOC, Switzerland, Kavya Shah from Toronto, Canada, Jose Abraham from USA, Jinda Shergill, President IOC UK Birmingham, Biju Kombasseril from USA, Harman Gill from Canada, Sandeep Vangala from California, Saurabh Bhandari from, UK, Hari Namboothiri from USA were also a part of discussion