A 165-strong international group including 92 former Presidents and Prime Ministers, along with economic and health leaders have come together to demand the creation of a G20 executive task force and an immediate global pledging conference that would approve and co-ordinate a multi-billion dollar coronavirus fighting fund.

In an open letter addressed to the G20 leaders by the group and sighted by GhanaWeb, the group wants a sped up search for a vaccine, cure, treatments and a reviving of the global economy.

The group is also urging global collaboration and commitment to funding ‘far beyond the current capacity of our existing international institutions’.

“The economic emergency will not be resolved until the health emergency is addressed: the health emergency will not end simply by conquering the disease in one country alone but by ensuring recovery from COVID-19 in all countries,” the statement said.

Read the full statement below: