As is normal practice, the Co-Chairs displayed the Draft Report on the screen for comment. After it was agreed, the floor was handed over to the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus (DG). The DG acknowledged that the progress made was disappointing but maintained that reaching agreement by the end of the year remains a…
In December 2021, the World Health Assembly (WHA) established an INB with a mandate to negotiate and draft a pandemic agreement to be adopted at the 77th WHA in May 2024. After nine meetings and over two years of negotiations consensus was not reached so, instead of the pandemic agreement being adopted at the 77th…
The goal of the INB is to agree the terms of the Pandemic Treaty prior to the end of 2024. The opening and closing plenary sessions of the INB taking place on 9th and 20th September will be publicly webcast. They are open to WHO Member States, Associate Members, Observers and regional economic integration organisations,…
Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has stated he wants the Treaty agreed before the end of 2024 in time for the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025. At the 10th meeting of the International Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention,…
On the 14th August 2024, as anticipated by many, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO (Tedros), declared mpox (previously known as monkey pox) a public health emergency of international concern (“PHEIC” pronounced “fake”). This is the second PHEIC determination in two years relating to mpox – the first was in July 2022 and was…
If so, and should it result in an emergency declaration in the UK, then “NO” is going to become a very important word! In a tweet on the 8th August, the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, advised that he was convening the Emergency Committee (EC) (under the International Health Regulations (IHR)) on Wednesday…
The Pandemic Treaty was not defeated as some commentators would have us believe. On the contrary there is, seemingly, the broad political will to finalise negotiations and reach a consensus on the Pandemic Agreement, however, there are still challenges to be overcome – equity remains one such challenge. Is it now time to challenge the…
Contrary to what some commentators would have us believe, the Pandemic Treaty has NOT been defeated. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) was mandated on 1st December 2021 to begin drafting and negotiating an agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. On 1st June, 2024, at the 77th World Health Assembly, that mandate was extended…
1st June 2024 was the final day of WHA77. The 194 member countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO): 1. adopted a package of amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) as presented by the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR (WGIHR); and 2. agreed to extend the mandate for the Intergovernmental Negotiating…
The Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (WGIHR) have failed to reach consensus on the final package of targeted amendments to the IHR ahead of the start of the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA). Their formal announcement can be read here along with the WGIHR Bureau proposed text from 20th May 2024.…