WHO countries have prepared an agreement on the transfer of medical technologies in the face of future pandemic threats
Kyiv • UNN
WHO member countries have developed an agreement on the exchange of medical technologies to prepare for future pandemics. The agreement will encourage technology transfer, but on mutually agreed terms.
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday finalized a historic agreement on the exchange of medical technologies to prepare the world for future pandemics. Negotiations on this lasted more than three years, writes UNN with reference to DW.
Details
The proposal will now be considered at the World Health Assembly - a decision-making forum of the global health body - in May.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the draft agreement "demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, countries can still work together to find common ground and a common response to common threats."
What is known about the WHO Pandemic Agreement project?
The Pandemic Agreement defines measures aimed at preventing a pandemic and strengthening global cooperation after the chaos that occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak.
One of the controversial points during the negotiations was Article 11, which concerns the transfer of medical technologies to developing countries.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, developing countries accused wealthier countries of hoarding vaccines and tests. Countries with large pharmaceutical industries strongly opposed the idea of mandatory technology transfer.
The agreement signed on Wednesday called for stimulating technology transfer through regulations, licensing agreements and favorable financing terms. But it contains a compromise provision that any transfer must be "mutually agreed".
The text of the agreement also proposes steps such as creating a system for accessing pathogens and distributing benefits. It also includes a "One Health" approach to pandemic prevention and the creation of a global supply chain and logistics network.
Respect for the sovereign rights of states
Confirmation of the sovereignty of states in resolving public health issues within their borders is also one of the key principles of the draft agreement.
A flurry of misinformation has sprung up around the treaty, including false claims that the WHO would interfere in the sovereignty of states, empowering itself to impose lockdowns and mandate vaccines.
Nothing in the draft agreement should be interpreted as granting the WHO any authority to manage, order, amend or prescribe national laws or policies, or to obligate states to take specific measures, such as prohibiting or accepting travelers, introducing mandatory vaccination, therapeutic or diagnostic measures, or introducing lockdowns
It is also noted that the agreement will be binding only on countries that decide to ratify it.
"At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have come together to declare that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together," said former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the WHO Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
Addition
In Germany, a committee tasked with overseeing the intelligence services has called on the German government and the Federal Intelligence Service to share with the public their findings on the origin of the coronavirus pandemic.