The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a political declaration on prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemics with 153 votes in favor and three votes against. The United States, Argentina, and Israel voted against the declaration, and two other countries also abstained.
History of the Declaration's Adoption
This non-binding declaration calls for strengthening national, regional, and international cooperation in the areas of prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemics. This cooperation should be guided by science, justice, and respect for human rights. Additionally, this declaration welcomes the adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic treaty last year.
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The Importance of International Cooperation
The representative of Chile at this meeting emphasized the importance of international cooperation to address global health threats, stating: "No country, even if large or well-prepared, can face a threat that knows no borders alone."
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, welcomed the adoption of this declaration, considering it a strong commitment from member states to collaborate on preparedness and response to pandemics. He also urged member countries to turn their commitments into action, particularly by completing negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, abbreviated as PABS.
This system is designed to create a framework for sharing pathogen samples and genetic data, as well as arrangements related to the equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use. However, negotiations in this area have stalled due to disagreements between developing countries and some wealthy European countries and the United States. The World Health Assembly, consisting of 194 WHO members, is set to return to these negotiations next May.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization launched a five-year strategy for a pandemic and epidemic information hub on Monday to identify emerging health threats within 24 hours. The goal of this hub, established in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, is to help each country quickly identify and understand emerging threats, thereby preventing the spread of epidemics before they escalate.
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