NEW DELHI: Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday formally adopted by consensus the world's first Pandemic Agreement, the UN health body said in a statement, although the US absence from the pact casts a long shadow over its effectiveness.
The agreement, which is legally binding, came into being because of the challenges faced during the Covid-19 crisis and the disjointed response to it, and aims to ensure countries work together for more effective prevention, preparation, and response to future pandemics.
"The agreement will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats," Tedros Adhanom Ghe breyesus, WHO director-general, said.
The pact is aimed to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers from signatory countries to allocate a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines, and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access.
"The landmark decision by the 78th World Health Assem-bly culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and driven by the goal of making the world safer from and more equitable in response tofuture pandemics," read the statement.
The pact is aimed to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufac turers from signatory countries to allocate a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines, and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer coun-tries have access. But with the US in the process of withdraw ing from WHO, the effectiveness of the agreement is unclear.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreye sus, WHO director-general, said. "The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collab oration, and commitment of our member states to adopt the his-toric WHO Pandemic Agree ment."
"The agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can bet ter protect the world from future pandemic threats. It is also a recognition by the inter-national community that our citizens, societies and econo-mies must not be left vulnerable to again suffer losses like those endured during Covid-19."
The WHO Pandemic Agree ment sets out the principles. approaches and tools for better international coordination across a range of areas, in order to strengthen the global health architecture for pandemic pre-vention, preparedness and response. This includes through the equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
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