United States – According to the World Health Organization, after two rounds of rigorous and relentless bargaining that lasted two years, attempts to formulate a new treaty that could assist countries in preparing for future pandemics have not been successful, as reported by HealthDay.
“WHO Member States have ended intensive negotiations aimed at strengthening global capacities to respond to future pandemics and outbreaks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to submit outcomes of their work for consideration by the upcoming World Health Assembly, starting Monday,” the WHO said in a statement released Friday.
Push for Treaty Renewal at World Health Assembly
“Over the past two years, WHO Member States have dedicated enormous effort to rise to this challenge posted by COVID-19 and respond to the losses it caused, including at least 7 million lives lost,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the statement. “While great progress was made during these negotiations, challenges remain to overcome. We need to use the World Health Assembly to re-energize and finish the job at hand, presenting the world with a generational pandemic agreement.”
In 2021, the members of this organization also requested the WHO to mediate to determine how the global societies might cooperate more effectively and prevent other similar practices from escalating into global epidemics.
On Friday, Roland Driece, the WHO negotiating board co-chair for the agreement, stated that this week’s World Health Assembly meeting will decide the way forward.
“We will try everything — believing that anything is possible — and make this happen because the world still needs a pandemic treaty,” Ghebreyesus said, the Associated Press reported. “Because many of the challenges that caused a serious impact during COVID-19 still exist.”
Lingering Challenges and Diplomatic Differences
While the co-chairs of the treaty process failed to explain the factors that led to the treaty’s failure, the diplomats mentioned that differences still persist regarding the exchange of information regarding new pathogens and technologies for their prevention.
Divisions Over Resource Allocation and WHO’s Role
The new draft stated that the WHO should receive 20% of the production of all pandemic-related products, including tests, treatments, and vaccines. It also called on member states to reveal their agreements with the private sector.
At the beginning of this month, members of the U. S. Republican party addressed the president with an open letter, asking them not to approve the treaty, which, in effect, is “charging the WHO with additional power.
At the same time, many developing countries argued that it is ridiculous that they agreed to provide samples of the virus for the development of vaccines and cures, to later not have access to them, said the AP.
Future Prospects for Consensus
The other co-chair of WHO’s negotiating board for the treaty is Matsoso Precious, and she said that there is a chance to reach a consensus on the treaty, as reported by HealthDay.
“We will make sure that this happens because when the next pandemic hits, it will not spare us,” she said.