WHO extends negotiations on global pandemic agreement
Published: Friday, Mar 29th 2024, 03:10
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There was no breakthrough in the negotiations on an international agreement to prevent pandemics on Thursday. After ten days of the ninth round of negotiations in Geneva, the 194 WHO member states decided to schedule another meeting.
The new negotiations are to take place from 29 April to 10 May in London, as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced late on Thursday evening. An agreement is therefore intended to prevent differences that arose during the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to draw up an international pandemic agreement was made by the 194 WHO member states in December 2021 in order to learn the lessons of the coronavirus crisis. According to the WHO, the coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 20 million people worldwide since the end of 2019. Countermeasures such as lockdowns and travel restrictions caused severe economic damage. Healthcare systems were also unprepared for the pandemic: A lack of vaccine hampered the fight against the coronavirus for a long time.
Different requirements
In order to be better prepared for future health crises and to be able to react more quickly and in a more targeted manner in the event of a pandemic, a legally binding international agreement with clear rules in the areas of prevention, preparedness and response is now to be agreed. Among other things, it should contain precise guidelines for all WHO member states before and during a pandemic and ensure reliable funding.
The European countries, which have been particularly vocal in calling for the pandemic agreement, want more money to be invested in pandemic prevention. African countries, on the other hand, are insisting above all on better access to vaccines and medicines. The USA, on the other hand, wants to ensure that all countries are obliged to exchange data and samples quickly and transparently when new pathogens emerge
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