WHO nears historic pandemic treaty to secure global future
The World Health Organization (WHO) is nearing the completion of a treaty designed to prepare the world for future pandemics. Negotiations have been ongoing for three years.
Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) are in the final stretch of negotiations regarding a treaty aimed at strengthening global defences against new pathogens. According to Reuters, discussions have been ongoing for three years, with the goal of avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 pandemic, which claimed millions of lives between 2020 and 2022.
Negotiations, which went on until late at night on Saturday, achieved significant progress. Almost the entire treaty has been agreed upon, but key issues remain to be resolved. One of the main points of contention is the equitable distribution of medications and vaccines between wealthy and developing countries. This aspect is intended to prevent the repetition of errors from the coronavirus pandemic era.
Reuters reported that if the deal goes through, it would mark a historic success for the WHO, as its member states have only once in the organization’s 75-year history reached a comparable treaty — the tobacco control agreement of 2003.
Negotiations have been ongoing since 2021
The WHO is working on a treaty that is intended to improve prevention and response to emerging pandemic threats. The decision to begin work on the treaty was made in December 2021.
The treaty is expected to enable both the prevention of future pandemics and better crisis management when one occurs. The treaty would facilitate a more effective sharing of limited resources.
