2024-06-24 15:39:25
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-Common of WHO, delivered opening remarks
Seventy-sixth World Well being Meeting The World Well being Meeting is the primary governing physique of the World Well being Group (WHO), which has 194 member states. Yearly, normally in Might, representatives from all member states meet to agree on the group’s priorities and insurance policies. Held on Might 21, 2023 on the Palais des Nations in Geneva (Switzerland).
© World Well being Group/Pierre Albouy
this Seventy-seventh World Well being Meeting A month in the past, in Might 2024, it was held in Geneva in opposition to a backdrop of battle, excessive geopolitical polarization and tensions, awaiting the settlement of the 194 WHO Member States on a pandemic treaty.
Negotiating a global treaty is likely one of the prerogatives of the World Well being Meeting, the governing physique of the World Well being Group. The primary of those treaties was the Framework Conference on Tobacco, adopted in 2003 following prolonged negotiations.
On the top of the Covid-19 pandemic, coronavirus illness, typically referred to as covid, is the illness attributable to coronaviruses (CoV). This time period might consult with the next ailments: extreme acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) attributable to the SARS-CoV virus, Center East respiratory syndrome (MERS) attributable to the MERS-CoV virus, SARS- attributable to coronavirus illness 2019 (Covid-19) CoV-2 virus. European Council President Charles Michel has proposed that world international locations negotiate a brand new pandemic treaty, a proposal contained within the suggestions of an impartial panel assessing pandemic responses (https://www.theindependentpanel.org).
Many international locations see within the proposal a possibility to essentially reform pandemic response techniques, significantly by way of coordination, financing, info sharing and entry to vaccines and coverings.
In October 2021, the World Well being Meeting set a goal of Might 2024 for adoption of the treaty.
Nonetheless, two and a half years of inauspicious negotiations didn’t succeed.
The World Congress famous this failure and determined to renew a brand new spherical of negotiations, with the aim of reaching a treaty earlier than the following World Congress a 12 months later. Nonetheless, the result of the brand new spherical of negotiations stays unsure.
Nonetheless, on the finish of one other two-year interval of parallel negotiations, the Meeting was in a position to agree on a collection of amendments to the Worldwide Well being Rules.
pandemic treaty
From the start of the pandemic treaty negotiations, member states acknowledged that fairness points should be on the coronary heart of their work. Quickly, nonetheless, there was a transparent distinction between the wealthy international locations of the “North” (US, EU, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Japan) that produce vaccines and medicines, and the international locations of the “South”, growing and rising international locations (US, EU, Canada, UK, Switzerland). , Japan).
The truth is, many of the treaty’s key provisions had been the supply of disagreements that haven’t been resolved. These are fashions for shared well being surveillance between wealthy and resource-limited international locations; a “One Well being” method; the resilience of well being techniques in poor international locations; decentralized manufacturing of vaccines; circumstances for know-how switch; or pandemic preparedness and response. worldwide financing.
For instance, in the previous few weeks of negotiations, Equity proposed that within the occasion of a public well being emergency of worldwide concern, 20% of the vaccines produced might be donated to the World Well being Group to be used in international locations with restricted sources to supply medicines. , promote vaccines and well being merchandise to growing international locations at preferential costs; and exempt patents and patent royalties. The “Northern” Alliance really helpful that producers give 10% of their manufacturing to the World Well being Group, promote 10% to non-governmental organizations at a money value, and decide to strengthening the manufacturing capability of growing international locations on a voluntary foundation.
Subsequently, incorporating the precept of fairness right into a treaty is an nearly not possible process. Each side have set crimson strains: for the “South”, if the precept of fairness just isn’t carried out, there can be no treaty; for the “North”, the World Well being Group just isn’t the proper place to barter on this subject, so the treaty Such concerns can’t be included.
The divisions are fueled largely by ongoing resentment in international locations with restricted sources over unequal entry to vaccines in richer international locations in the course of the coronavirus pandemic. This time period might consult with the next ailments: extreme acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) attributable to the SARS-CoV virus, Center East respiratory syndrome (MERS) attributable to the MERS-CoV virus, SARS- attributable to coronavirus illness 2019 (Covid-19) CoV-2 virus. An actual disaster of confidence has emerged that continues to undermine world well being and well being multilateralism. The disaster has put stress on lots of the subjects being debated, corresponding to l’Open Science; the general public nature of genetic sources and even the privatization of earnings from public analysis funding.
Revision of worldwide well being laws
Negotiations to revise the Worldwide Well being Rules (IHR) had been extra profitable, with a collection of amendments to the 2005 IHR textual content adopted nearly on the final minute.
The amendments embrace the popularity of fairness as a precept within the Worldwide Well being Rules; a brand new definition of pandemic emergency thresholds; the duty to entry well being merchandise; a brand new coordinated financing mechanism, and enhanced transparency and timeliness of data within the occasion of a pandemic promise
A pandemic emergency is now outlined as “an infectious illness that presents or has the potential to unfold broadly geographically inside or throughout a number of international locations, exceeding or doubtlessly exceeding the response capabilities of these international locations’ well being techniques; inflicting or Might trigger vital social and financial hurt, together with disruption to worldwide transport and commerce; Lastly, this requires immediate, honest, coordinated worldwide motion, and requires whole-of-government motion.
To boost entry to medical merchandise, the brand new textual content contains the institution of a monetary coordination mechanism aimed toward facilitating growing international locations’ entry to vital financing.
The revised IHR additionally supplies for the institution of a Committee of States Events (COP), whose function is to facilitate the implementation of the brand new provisions and the institution of nationwide authorities below the IHR.
These amendments fall far in need of responding to the various reforms required of the worldwide epidemic response system. Their adoption has been accompanied by reservations from some international locations, and the WHO’s 194 member states have but to validate them on the nationwide degree. Nonetheless, their passage sends an encouraging message to pandemic treaty negotiators who return to work in July.
Different essential selections
The World Well being Meeting normally adopts resolutions by consensus and barely votes (aside from the election of the Director-Common). This 12 months, the Common Meeting voted eight occasions in a single week to simply accept or reject draft resolutions, significantly on Ukraine and Palestine, reflecting geopolitical tensions eroding consensus.
One of the essential votes gave the Palestinian state observer standing. Palestine was due to this fact acknowledged as a rustic by the World Well being Group for the primary time. Nonetheless, she doesn’t have the proper to vote. The choice was supported by 101 states, 5 voted in opposition to (together with the US), and 21 abstained.
Points associated to sexual and reproductive well being rights are actually the topic of robust opposition throughout the United Nations Common Meeting. The World Well being Group’s proposal to incorporate the U.S. Heart for Reproductive Well being Rights in its checklist of NGO companions triggered robust protests from international locations within the Jap Mediterranean area and several other African international locations.
Two different essential points on the agenda are the topic of the decision: Antibiotic resistance, which would be the topic of a particular session of the UN Common Meeting subsequent September (as is the case with AIDS-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) – Deficiency Syndrome Twenty Years In the past , then different pandemics: tuberculosis, Ebola and Covid-19). Then once more, the World Congress acknowledged the adverse well being results of local weather change. This newest decision, welcomed by many, comes following a Well being Day was held (for the primary time) over the last COP in Dubai. Nonetheless, local weather activists condemned the WHO decision for making no point out of a gradual transition away from fossil fuels.
Clearly, progress within the multilateral system has been very sluggish. The 2024 World Convention will fail to agree on a pandemic treaty three and a half years following the pandemic disaster emerged, with the danger of a pandemic anticipated to achieve 40% to 50% over the following 20 years.
We should now relearn the teachings of the worldwide group’s response to HIV. English: HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Remoted on the Pasteur Institute in Paris in 1983; current discovery (2008) led to the Nobel Prize in Drugs, awarded to Luc Montagnier and Françoise Barré-Sinoussi. Redoubling efforts and reviving multilateral dialogue to pursue frequent pursuits will overcome the present deep geopolitical divisions.
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