On Monday 31 May, the World Health Assembly - the decision-making body of the WHO - decided to convene a special health assembly in November to discuss the proposed international treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness (see EUROPE 12689/3), promoted by European Council President Charles Michel.
It will be up to this special assembly to decide on whether or not to open negotiations in order to implement the treaty. As an EU source commented on Monday, the convening of such an assembly remains “quite exceptional”, as it has only happened once before - in 2006, when the Director-General of the WHO passed away.
By November, a working group dedicated to strengthening the WHO’s preparedness and response to health emergencies will have been established and will submit a report to the assembly, the source said.
The aim of an international treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness would be to ensure better preparedness for future health crises, drawing on the lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic.
At this stage, of the 194 delegations that make up the assembly, around 60 - including the USA and China - support the initiative. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)