After the U.S. left the World Health Organization (WHO) for reasons that were mostly related to how the WHO handled the Covid-19 plandemic, the organization is now leading its remaining member states down a path that ends with a “pandemic treaty.”
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus claimed the agreement signaled to the world that “in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground and a shared response.”
WHO member countries agree on a draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid COVID-19 mistakes– abcnews.go.com
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Five years after COVID-19 triggered national lockdowns, economic uncertainty and killed millions, the World Health Organization’s member countries agreed on a draft “pandemic treaty” that sets guidelines for how the international community might confront the next global health crisis.
After the world’s largely disastrous response to the coronavirus, countries tasked the WHO with overseeing a pandemic treaty in 2021; negotiations concluded early Wednesday on an agreement expected to be adopted next month at the U.N. health agency’s annual meeting in Geneva.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus heralded it as a historic moment, saying countries have proven that “in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground and a shared response.”
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the country from the WHO in January, American officials were barred from participating in the talks and are not expected to sign the treaty. During COVID-19, it was largely American research and development that produced the most effective vaccines and medicines.
Weeks after Trump’s decision, Argentina’s President Javier Milei also exited the WHO, citing “profound differences” with the U.N. agency.
Rachael Crockett, of the advocacy group Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, described the draft pandemic treaty as “a product of compromise.” She said it contained strong provisions, but only if countries chose to implement them. “This could change what we saw in COVID, when some populations didn’t get access to what they needed.”
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