Global pandemic prevention talks end in impasse as WHO member states fail to reach a consensus
NEW DELHI: Negotiations on a global agreement to prevent and manage future pandemics remained inconclusive on Friday, the final day of talks among 194 World Health Organization member states, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The UN health agency said in a statement that significant progress had been made on drafting the accord, but added that talks will continue until the start of the World Health Assembly in late May.
“Governments of the world today agreed to continue worksharing, ing on a proposed pandemic agreement, and to further refine the draft, ahead of the Seventyseventh World Health Assembly that starts 27 May 2024,” the statement said.
Governments meeting at WHO headquarters in Geneva agreed to resume hybrid and in-person discussions in the coming weeks to advance work on critical issues, including a proposed new global system for pathogen access and benefits such as life-saving vaccines, treatments and diagnostics; pandemic prevention and One Health; and the financial coordination needed to scale up countries’ capacities to prepare for and respond to pandemics.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that during more than two years of intensive negotiations, WHO member states have shown “unwavering commitment to forging a generational agreement to protect the world from a repeat of the horrors caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The member state-led Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, established over two years ago with the aim of advancing this critical effort.