By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – World body on Monday adopted a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, by 153 in favor, 3 against (Argentina, Israel and United States) with 2 abstentions (New Zealand and Paraguay).
The text was due to be approved by consensus at a high-level meeting on 25 September.
The objections from the US and a few other States blocked that pushing the issue back to the assembly.
Chilean representative said that “no country, no matter how big it might be or how prepared it might be, can alone address a threat that knows no borders.”
The declaration is political and non-binding.
It called for stronger national, regional and international cooperation, guided by science, equity and respect for human rights, and it welcomes last year’s landmark adoption of the World WHO Pandemic Agreement.
The agreement cannot be opened for signature until Member States complete an annex on pathogen access and benefit-sharing the system by which countries would share samples and genetic data.
Those that do so would receive a share of any resulting vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
The talks have stalled after a standoff between developing countries and some high-income European nations together with the US.
WHO has 194 members is due to return to the annex next May.
US representative had cited “divisive ideologies that lack definitional consensus” as well as the declaration’s references to the continuing annex negotiations.
In addition to adopting the pandemic declaration, the 193-member world body had a number of items on its agenda on Monday, including the consideration of draft resolutions on the UN Declaration on Sea
The sea level is on rise and a political declaration of the high-level meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the anti-racism Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.
WHO aims to spot new outbreaks within 24 hours
World Health Organization launched a five-year strategy for its Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, with the goal of detecting emerging health threats within 24 hours.
It was set up in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hub wants every country to be able to identify and understand new threats quickly, so outbreaks can be contained before they become epidemics or spread internationally.
