WHO members agree on a draft historic agreement to address future pandemics
16 April 21:22
On April 16, members of the World Health Organization reached an agreement on a draft historic agreement to combat global pandemics.
This is stated on the WHO website, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
After 13 official rounds of meetings, nine of which were extended, as well as numerous informal and intersessional negotiations on various aspects of the draft agreement, the WHO Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) finalized a proposal for a “WHO Pandemic Agreement”.
The proposals in the text developed by the IGO include:
- creation of a system of access to pathogens and benefit sharing;
- measures to prevent a pandemic, in particular through the One Health approach;
- development of research capacities in different regions of the world;
- facilitating the transfer of technologies and related knowledge, skills and experience for the production of pandemic-related medical products;
- mobilization of qualified, trained and multidisciplinary national and global workforce to work in health emergencies;
- establishing a coordinating financial mechanism;
- enhancing the training, preparedness, functions and resilience of the health care system;
- creating a global supply and logistics system.
As Reuters notes, this is only the second time in the 75-year history of the WHO that member states have reached a binding agreement-the last was on tobacco control in 2003.
The agreement, which is yet to be approved by the World Health Assembly in May and ratified by its members, aims to address structural inequalities in the development of medicines, vaccines, and health tools.
Article 9 of the agreement obliges governments to develop national policies that will determine the conditions for access to research and development results and guarantee the global availability of pandemic-related medicines, therapeutics, and vaccines. This is the first time this provision has been included in an international health agreement.
The agreement also obliges participating manufacturers to donate 20% of their current production of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to WHO during a pandemic. At least 10% of this volume must be provided as humanitarian aid, and the rest must be sold at affordable prices.
