The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has upended our interconnected world, magnified existing inequalities,and worsened socioeconomic tension. To respond to the unprecedented impacts of the coronavirus, we mustunderstand that pandemics are inherently global issues. The pandemic has made clear our interconnected natureand shown that no country, regardless of its size, wealth, or technological sophistication, can tackle the issue alone.Cooperation and solidarity, partnership, and global governance, including the strong leadership of the UnitedNations and the World Health Organization, are needed in our fight against COVID-19.

Countries learning from each other is fundamental to overcome the crisis. Listening to scientists and experts andsharing experience and expertise allow effective policies and best practices to be disseminated globally. Advancedinformation and communication technology is an excellent means of delivering information quickly, and theestablishment of a new global information technology–based response platform would allow vetted scientificinformation and sustainable policy options for dealing with COVID-19 to be rapidly accessible to all countries.