In Geneva on Wednesday 1 December, Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) paved the way for an intergovernmental process to negotiate an international agreement on prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemics.
Unsurprisingly, the decision adopted at the end of the World Health Assembly Special Session does not mention a legally binding international treaty - which is what the EU has been calling for (see EUROPE 12842/2, 12840/3).
“There are still different views on what a new Accord could or should contain. Many Member States have said the International Health Regulations (IHR) remain an essential government’s tool for the prevention, preparedness, detection and response to public health emergencies”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged after the session.
However, in his view, a WHO international agreement, convention or instrument would be the best way to address the shortcomings in the implementation of International Health Regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The intergovernmental body which was set up on 1 December will be responsible for drafting and negotiating a WHO agreement, convention or other international instrument. The first meeting will take place no later than March 2022. Adoption is expected in 2024.
The WHO Director-General welcomed “the commitment of all countries to an inclusive, transparent and effective process, led by Member States” and urged all countries to recognise that strengthening the global health security architecture cannot be achieved without strengthening the WHO.
Mr Ghebreyesus welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s proposal to increase Member States’ contributions to WHO funding. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)