WHA delegates spent over 10 hours in diplomatic maneuvers, debates and painful rollcount votes Friday, finally approving two measures that decried the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in sharply different, and sometimes contradictory terms. One motion co-sponsored by a coalition of Algeria, Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, Egypt and other Middle Eastern allies, condemns “indiscriminate attacks” by […] Continue reading ->
After two years of intensive negotiations – including long nights this week – the World Health Assembly (WHA) finally passed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) and committed to completing pandemic agreement talks within a year. After failing to agree on the amendments before WHA opened on Monday, member states have been racing to […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – There were claps and cheers from inside Room XXVI of the UN’s Palais des Nations as World Health Organization (WHO) member states finally agreed on amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) after over two years of negotiations. After failing to reach an agreement on the amendments before Monday’s start of the World […] Continue reading ->
Palestine moved close to full recognition by WHO on Friday evening- with the broad approval of a World Health Assembly resolution that gives the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, which has limited governing authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, all the rights of WHO member states – short of the vote. The resolution, on “aligning […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – The United States believes a “good deal” is within reach on the pandemic agreement, with parties “close to consensus,” Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra told reporters at the US Mission in Geneva on Wednesday. “There is a clear consensus that we can’t let the status quo be upon us […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA — As the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) opened on Monday, global leaders pressed World Health Organization (WHO) member states to conclude a pandemic agreement, despite failing to meet the original deadline for reaching a consensus. The WHA, a week-long gathering that sets the agenda for the WHO, was initially expected to mark the […] Continue reading ->
Although a draft pandemic agreement may take weeks or months longer to conclude, there are moves underfoot to try to quickly wrap up negotiations and get final member state sign-off on amendments to the 2005-era WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) at the this week’s World Health Assembly (WHA), said the co-chair of the working group […] Continue reading ->
A last ditch effort of WHO member states to finish negotiations on a pandemic accord has failed to yield agreement ahead of next week’s World Health Assembly (WHA) – with key articles in the draft text still unresolved including the thorny formula for global sharing of vaccines and medicines during international health emergencies. As of […] Continue reading ->
In December 2021, as the COVID pandemic continued to rage, WHO Member States established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR). The outcome of the negotiations is to be presented at the 77th World Health Assembly, which will meet next week in Geneva. Over the […] Continue reading ->
During the COVID-19 pandemic, therapeutic development took a backseat to vaccines – a potentially disastrous gamble had vaccines not been found. In future pandemics, therapeutics and vaccines should be treated equally – particularly as COVID-19 treatment options remain expensive and mostly only available in high-income countries, speakers told at a webinar this week hosted by […] Continue reading ->