Final Negotiations for World Health Organization Agreement to Protect Against Future Pandemics

Final negotiations were launched on Monday at the World Health Organization to agree on a draft agreement, some aspects in which opinions were divided were mitigated and it aims to effectively protect the world from any future pandemics.

After continuous work for two years, the negotiators came to the conclusion last month that they needed more time to agree on a text on protection from, prevention and preparation for future pandemics. But time is running out for the negotiators, as the text must be approved at the World Health Assembly, which begins on May 27.

To reach an agreement, the 194 countries of the World Health Organization will hold talks at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva from Monday to May 10.

The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pointed out on Wednesday that “the next pandemic is inevitable, but we only know the time.”

As the memory of the millions of victims claimed by the Covid-19 pandemic receded, and the suffering, massive economic damage and inequality it faced faded away, Tedros emphasized : “If a pandemic starts tomorrow, we will face many of the same problems we faced during Covid-19. “

New project undermined

Although there is broad agreement on the need to use binding text to make the international community’s response more effective and balanced, there are still differences as to how this should be approached.

After reaching a dead end – the text became unreadable with all the additions and reservations – the negotiators meet again with a simplified version that is 23 pages long and has a quarter less words.

This time, countries will not be able to add new elements, but instead they will debate and agree on 37 items in the draft agreement.

If a dispute cannot be resolved quickly in the hall, informal discussions will be held.

The main disagreements center around equitable access to discovered pathogens, access to products to combat the pandemic, such as vaccines developed based on these discoveries, and equitable distribution of tests. , treatments and vaccines against the pandemic, but also the methods of their realization.

The new project will focus on the points of agreement to establish a framework and try to reach a complete consensus, which is necessary.

The new text leaves some points to be decided through discussions in the future in the next two years, especially getting pathogens and sharing results as a result of research on germs.

Nothing concrete

A group of 22 non-governmental organizations, including Health Action International, urged countries not to back down on the issue of fair and equitable access to the necessary tools and technology to fight a certain pandemic.

She said in a statement: “It is unacceptable to have an agreement that has no tangible outcome or adequate measures.

Doctors Without Borders said on Monday that several provisions necessary for any effective agreement “have been reduced, canceled, or remain absent.”

The non-governmental organization said that these arrangements include providing technology to the poorest countries and ensuring that medicines are subsequently provided to communities, as the test and the flexibility of laws regarding intellectual property or even the issue of transparency in the cost and creation of stocks allocated for humanitarian purposes.

In contrast, the Medicines for Neglected Diseases Initiative welcomed that fair access to medicines as a result of officially funded research and development has resisted cuts in the text.

Michelle Childs, a member of this campaign, said: “The binding provisions that would have ensured that people benefit from scientific progress and fairly get the results they need, have been removed from the text or reduced .”

The discussions, which are held in closed sessions, continue 12 hours a day. The goal is to finish discussions on the text by May 5 and then prepare a resolution between May 7 and May 10 to present to the World Health Assembly.