GENEVA, CMC—Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO), including the Caribbean, formally adopted by consensus the world’s first Pandemic Agreement on Tuesday.
The landmark decision by the 78th World Health Assembly culminated in more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the goal of making the world safer from future pandemics.
“The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration, and commitment of our member states to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“The Agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we can better protect the world from future pandemic threats. It is also a recognition by the international community that our citizens, societies, and economy,” he added.
The Pandemic Agreement was adopted following Monday’s approval of the accord, with 124 in favor and 11 abstentions in the Committee by member state delegations.
“Starting during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments from all corners of the world acted with great purpose, dedication and urgency, and in doing so exercising their national sovereignty, to negotiate the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement that has been adopted today,” said Dr Teodoro Herbosa, President of this year’s World Health Assembly, who presided over the Agreement’s adoption.
“Now that the Agreement has been brought to life, we must all act with the same urgency to implement its critical elements, including systems to ensure equitable access to life-saving pandemic-related health products.
“As COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime emergency, the WHO Pandemic Agreement offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on lessons learned from that crisis and ensure people worldwide are better protected if a future pandemic emerges,” he said.
The WHO Pandemic Agreement sets out the principles, approaches, and tools for better international coordination across a range of areas, strengthening the global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. This includes equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
Regarding national sovereignty, the Agreement states that: “Nothing in the WHO Pandemic Agreement shall be interpreted as providing the Secretariat of the World Health Organization, including the Director-General of the World Health Organization, any authority to direct, order, alter or otherwise prescribe the national and/or domestic law, as appropriate, or policies of any Party, or to mandate or otherwise impose any requirements that Parties take specific actions, such as ban or accept travelers, impose vaccination mandates or therapeutic or diagnostic measures or implement lockdowns.”
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the PAHO played a crucial role in ensuring that countries of the Americas were heard throughout the three-year negotiation process. It convened four in-person meetings that brought together representatives from Ministries of Health and their diplomatic missions to guarantee that each region country had access to all the necessary information and could participate actively in the negotiation process.
The PAHO director highlighted the importance of unity and commitment among the countries, saying the Agreement marks a significant step forward in global pandemic preparedness.
“A key focus is ensuring equitable access to vaccines, medicines, and health technologies, which was a critical issue highlighted by the profoundly unequal distribution faced by our region during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
However, he said, “While we celebrate this collective achievement, we also acknowledge that the work is ongoing.
“We must continue to support countries in strengthening their capacities, not only for future pandemics but also for effectively responding to current outbreaks such as avian influenza, dengue, yellow fever, and measles,” he added.
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