WHO says wealthier nations must bear more of the load to fight pandemics
A new draft of a treaty being negotiated by the WHO aims to address the ‘catastrophic failure’ of the international community to fight Covid-19 fairly
23 May 2023 - 17:43
byJennifer Rigby and Emma Farge
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A medical worker in a protective suit collects a swab sample from a chef for nucleic acid testing, during lockdownin Shanghai, China. File photo: ALY SONG/REUTERS
London — Richer countries should be asked to better pull their weight in helping the world cope with pandemics, according to a new draft of a treaty being negotiated at the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Countries with more “capacities and resources” should bear a “commensurate degree” of responsibility for preparing for, and responding to, global health threats, the draft, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, suggests.
The treaty, a legally binding agreement being negotiated by WHO member states, aims to address what it calls the “catastrophic failure” of the international community to fight Covid-19 fairly around the world.
Covid-19 has killed about 7-million people since it emerged in China at the end of 2019, disrupting the global economy and ravaging communities. More than 750-million infections have been reported.
On the sidelines of the WHO’s annual assembly in Geneva, US health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra struck an upbeat note, saying countries would stick to the current negotiating timeline and adopt the accord at the same meeting in 2024.
“We feel good. The US is ready,” he told reporters, adding that the next global health threat was “probably not far away”.
Washington had initially expressed reservations about a legally binding accord, and some Republicans continue to lobby against it.
The 42-page document aims to help the world do better after Covid-19. Member states have the option to remove numerous paragraphs from it in future negotiations, including the one about responsibilities.
Sections that have proved controversial in earlier drafts, including around intellectual property and reserving 20% of tests, treatments and vaccines for the WHO to distribute in poorer countries during emergencies, remain in the new draft but could still be removed. No such provision on pandemic countermeasures existed during Covid-19.
A clause in an earlier draft obliging pharmaceutical companies to make details of their deals with governments public appears to have been dropped.
The document also defines “pandemic” — one of several sticking points that have already taken up negotiating time — as “the global spread of a pathogen or variant” that spreads easily, is dangerous, overwhelms health systems and requires international co-ordination.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
WHO says wealthier nations must bear more of the load to fight pandemics
A new draft of a treaty being negotiated by the WHO aims to address the ‘catastrophic failure’ of the international community to fight Covid-19 fairly
London — Richer countries should be asked to better pull their weight in helping the world cope with pandemics, according to a new draft of a treaty being negotiated at the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Countries with more “capacities and resources” should bear a “commensurate degree” of responsibility for preparing for, and responding to, global health threats, the draft, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, suggests.
The treaty, a legally binding agreement being negotiated by WHO member states, aims to address what it calls the “catastrophic failure” of the international community to fight Covid-19 fairly around the world.
Covid-19 has killed about 7-million people since it emerged in China at the end of 2019, disrupting the global economy and ravaging communities. More than 750-million infections have been reported.
On the sidelines of the WHO’s annual assembly in Geneva, US health and human services secretary Xavier Becerra struck an upbeat note, saying countries would stick to the current negotiating timeline and adopt the accord at the same meeting in 2024.
“We feel good. The US is ready,” he told reporters, adding that the next global health threat was “probably not far away”.
Washington had initially expressed reservations about a legally binding accord, and some Republicans continue to lobby against it.
The 42-page document aims to help the world do better after Covid-19. Member states have the option to remove numerous paragraphs from it in future negotiations, including the one about responsibilities.
Sections that have proved controversial in earlier drafts, including around intellectual property and reserving 20% of tests, treatments and vaccines for the WHO to distribute in poorer countries during emergencies, remain in the new draft but could still be removed. No such provision on pandemic countermeasures existed during Covid-19.
A clause in an earlier draft obliging pharmaceutical companies to make details of their deals with governments public appears to have been dropped.
The document also defines “pandemic” — one of several sticking points that have already taken up negotiating time — as “the global spread of a pathogen or variant” that spreads easily, is dangerous, overwhelms health systems and requires international co-ordination.
Reuters
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