(Geneva, 20th) World Health Organization (WHO) members voted to support a potentially groundbreaking global treaty aimed at improving pandemic preparedness.
The 78th World Health Assembly opened in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 19th. The theme of this session is 'Together for a Healthier World.'
At the request of Slovakia, WHO members voted on the 'Pandemic Agreement.' Ultimately, 124 WHO members voted in favor. No countries voted against it, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia, and Iran, abstained.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, 'Governments around the world are working to make their countries and our interconnected global society more equitable, healthier, and safer against the threats posed by pathogens and viruses that could trigger pandemics.'
The draft of the 'Pandemic Agreement' is set to be formally adopted at the plenary session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva on the 20th. The draft draws on the experiences and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused millions of deaths from 2020 to 2022, and aims to address structural inequalities in the development of medicines, vaccines, and health tools.
However, the 'Pandemic Agreement' must wait until negotiations for the pathogen-sharing annex are completed before it can formally take effect, which may take up to 2 years, after which countries will ratify the agreement.
At a time when multilateral organizations like the WHO are suffering due to significant cuts in external funding by the United States, this agreement, reached after three years of difficult negotiations, is seen by many diplomats and analysts as a victory for global cooperation.
The 78th World Health Assembly opened in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 19th. The theme of this session is 'Together for a Healthier World.'
At the request of Slovakia, WHO members voted on the 'Pandemic Agreement.' Ultimately, 124 WHO members voted in favor. No countries voted against it, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia, and Iran, abstained.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, 'Governments around the world are working to make their countries and our interconnected global society more equitable, healthier, and safer against the threats posed by pathogens and viruses that could trigger pandemics.'
The draft of the 'Pandemic Agreement' is set to be formally adopted at the plenary session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva on the 20th. The draft draws on the experiences and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused millions of deaths from 2020 to 2022, and aims to address structural inequalities in the development of medicines, vaccines, and health tools.
However, the 'Pandemic Agreement' must wait until negotiations for the pathogen-sharing annex are completed before it can formally take effect, which may take up to 2 years, after which countries will ratify the agreement.
At a time when multilateral organizations like the WHO are suffering due to significant cuts in external funding by the United States, this agreement, reached after three years of difficult negotiations, is seen by many diplomats and analysts as a victory for global cooperation.