WHO wants to conclude global pandemic pact

The corona pandemic has shown that countries in crisis often go it alone at national level. Solidarity is not that important. A global pandemic pact is intended to prevent this in the future. But how?

Geneva – To better prepare for future pandemics, the 194 member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) want to conclude a global pact. They agreed on this on Wednesday at the end of a special meeting in Geneva.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this was to help prevent a “me first” mentality in many countries, as in the corona pandemic. The aim is an agreement that is legally binding.

However, the pact will probably only be ready in two and a half years. A working group is supposed to start deliberations before March 1 of next year. However, the final results are not to be presented until the WHO’s annual meeting in spring 2024. The resolution states that it is about “a treaty, agreement or other international agreement of the WHO”.

Praise for the decision

The German ambassador in Geneva, Katharina Stasch, praised the decision. “To beat the pandemic, we need international solidarity and mutual trust,” she said. “Germany strongly supports the start of negotiations for a new legal instrument and will continue to advocate it.”

It is unclear which new regulations could prevent a devastating development like the current corona pandemic. The WHO already has binding health regulations – which countries have, however, largely ignored in the past two years. According to WHO figures, more than 261 million people around the world are infected with the coronavirus. The World Health Organization puts the death toll at more than 5.2 million.

For example, rules are conceivable that prevent countries from stopping the export of protective equipment or masks. This is what Germany and many other countries did at the beginning of the corona pandemic. The poorer countries insist that vaccines are distributed fairly and that they do not wait long for the first vaccine doses for health workers and particularly vulnerable people, as in the current pandemic, while booster vaccinations are already taking place in rich countries.

“The corona pandemic has highlighted the many weaknesses in the global system for protecting people from pandemics,” said Tedros. “Most vulnerable people do not get a vaccination, health workers do not have the equipment they need to do life-saving work, and the” me first “approach prevents the global solidarity that is necessary to counter a global threat.” Dpa