Pandemic agreement talks end without a deal
GENEVA
Negotiations on a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics ended Friday without a deal — though countries said they wanted to keep pushing for an accord.
Scarred by the devastation caused by Covid-19 — which killed millions of people, shredded economies and crippled health systems — countries have spent two years trying to hammer out binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The talks gathered momentum in the final weeks, but failed to meet a final deadline before next week's World Health Assembly — the annual gathering of the World Health Organization's 194 member states.
"This is not a failure," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted as the talks ended at the U.N. health agency's headquarters in Geneva.
He urged countries to see it as a "good opportunity to re-energise".
"The world still needs a pandemic treaty and the world needs to be prepared," he commented.
'We're not finished'
The assembly, which runs from Monday until June 1, will take stock and decide what to do next.
The talks co-chairs Roland Driece and Precious Matsoso told AFP that countries clearly wanted to reach a final agreement.
"It's not the end," stressed Matsoso, noting that the same ministers who decided they wanted a pandemic agreement would be the ones deciding on the next steps.
"They are the ones who are going to say, 'OK, you haven't finished this. Please go back, finalise it'," she said.
Driece said the draft they would send to the assembly was "not an agreed document, but it is a document — and we started with a blank sheet of paper. With nothing."
"I would think it would be very stupid if they would not finish this," he said.
After arm-twisting, horse-trading and 3:00 am finishes as the talks ramped up, Matsoso said 17 pages out of 32 had been fully agreed by countries.
Sticking points
"It's clearly a pause. Most member states want to carry on and lock in the gains," an Asian diplomat in the talks told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"We're not yet there with the text we have on the table. The big question is, what will it take for the north and the south to get to convergence? It needs time."
The main disputes revolved around access to pathogens detected within countries, and to pandemic-fighting products such as vaccines derived from that knowledge.
Other tricky topics were sustainable financing, pathogen surveillance, supply chains, and the equitable distribution of tests, treatments and jabs but also the means to produce them
Steadfast commitment
As the talks closed, countries who took the floor stressed their commitment.
U.S. negotiator Pamela Hamamoto said: "I'm glad that we have the draft text to show for the work that we have done together."
Ethiopia said African countries "remain steadfast"; Britain said there was "real progress", while the European Union remained "entirely committed" to bringing the talks to fruition.
Bangladesh still wants to deliver a "successful result that will serve humanity", while Indonesia said "we should continue until it finishes".
Parallel talks took place on revising the International Health Regulations, which were first adopted in 1969 and last updated in 2005.
The IHR talks outcome will also be presented at next week's assembly.
The regulations provide a legal framework defining countries' rights and obligations in handling public health events and emergencies that could cross borders.
Pandemic agreement talks end without a deal
Negotiations on a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics ended Friday without a deal — though countries said they wanted to keep pushing for an accord.
Scarred by the devastation caused by Covid-19 — which killed millions of people, shredded economies and crippled health systems — countries have spent two years trying to hammer out binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The talks gathered momentum in the final weeks, but failed to meet a final deadline before next week’s World Health Assembly — the annual gathering of the World Health Organization’s 194 member states.
“This is not a failure,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted as the talks ended at the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva.
He urged countries to see it as a “good opportunity to re-energise”.
“The world still needs a pandemic treaty and the world needs to be prepared,” he commented.
– ‘We’re not finished’ –
The assembly, which runs from Monday until June 1, will take stock and decide what to do next.
The talks co-chairs Roland Driece and Precious Matsoso told AFP that countries clearly wanted to reach a final agreement.
“It’s not the end,” stressed Matsoso, noting that the same ministers who decided they wanted a pandemic agreement would be the ones deciding on the next steps.
“They are the ones who are going to say, ‘OK, you haven’t finished this. Please go back, finalise it’,” she said.
Driece said the draft they would send to the assembly was “not an agreed document, but it is a document — and we started with a blank sheet of paper. With nothing.”
“I would think it would be very stupid if they would not finish this,” he said.
After arm-twisting, horse-trading and 3:00 am finishes as the talks ramped up, Matsoso said 17 pages out of 32 had been fully agreed by countries.
– Sticking points –
“It’s clearly a pause. Most member states want to carry on and lock in the gains,” an Asian diplomat in the talks told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We’re not yet there with the text we have on the table. The big question is, what will it take for the north and the south to get to convergence? It needs time.”
The main disputes revolved around access to pathogens detected within countries, and to pandemic-fighting products such as vaccines derived from that knowledge.
Other tricky topics were sustainable financing, pathogen surveillance, supply chains, and the equitable distribution of tests, treatments and jabs but also the means to produce them.
“The best thing is to have a good, inclusive text. Whether that is now or later doesn’t matter,” one African negotiator told AFP.
“We want to continue the process. We really want this text.”
– Steadfast commitment –
As the talks closed, countries who took the floor stressed their commitment.
US negotiator Pamela Hamamoto said: “I’m glad that we have the draft text to show for the work that we have done together.”
Ethiopia said African countries “remain steadfast”; Britain said there was “real progress”, while the European Union remained “entirely committed” to bringing the talks to fruition.
Bangladesh still wants to deliver a “successful result that will serve humanity”, while Indonesia said “we should continue until it finishes”.
Parallel talks took place on revising the International Health Regulations, which were first adopted in 1969 and last updated in 2005.
The IHR talks outcome will also be presented at next week’s assembly.
The regulations provide a legal framework defining countries’ rights and obligations in handling public health events and emergencies that could cross borders.
by Robin MILLARD
Alert: COVID-19 eliminated a decade of progress in global level of life expectancy
Data crunched by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that the COVID-19 emergency reversed more than a decade of gains in life expectancy, reinforcing the need for countries to agree on a global pandemic treaty to protect future generations.
According to the UN agency, between 2019 and 2021 – the early years of the global health emergency - life expectancy around the world dropped by 1.8 years to 71.4 years, which is the 2012 level.
Responding to the findings, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the fragility of global health advances when confronted with unprecedented emergencies like the pandemic, which caused more than seven million confirmed deaths.
“In just two years, the COVID-19 pandemic erased a decade of gains in life expectancy,” Tedros said. “That's why the new Pandemic Agreement is so important: not only to strengthen global health security, but to protect long-term investments in health and promote equity within and between countries.”
Regional differences
Regionally, the Americas and South-East Asia felt the biggest impact of the coronavirus, with life expectancy dropping by around three years.
In contrast, Western Pacific countries were minimally affected during the first two years of the pandemic, with only small losses in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.
The WHO’s World Health Statistics 2024 report confirmed that COVID-19 was the third highest cause of death globally in 2020 and the second highest a year later.
The coronavirus was also the leading cause of mortality in the Americas for 2020 and 2021.
Noncommunicable diseases
Before the pandemic, noncommunicable diseases remained the top killer, the UN health agency said, accounting for 74 per cent of all deaths in 2019.
During the pandemic, chronic conditions such as heart disease and stroke, cancer and dementia were behind 78 per cent of non-COVID deaths.
Malnutrition in children ‘striking’
Other major causes of lives being cut short are malnutrition, undernutrition, overweight and obesity. In 2022, over one billion people aged five years and older lived with obesity, while more than half a billion were underweight.
“Malnutrition in children was also striking,” the WHO report said, “with 148 million children under five years old affected by stunting - too short for age - 45 million suffering from wasting - too thin for height - and 37 million overweight.”
Healthcare inequity
The WHO’s World Health Statistics report also highlighted the challenges faced by people with disabilities, refugees and migrants.
In 2021, about 1.3 billion people, or 16 per cent of the global population, had a disability. “This group is disproportionately affected by health inequities resulting from avoidable, unjust and unfair conditions,” the UN health agency insisted.
Similar medical aid access problems exist for refugees and migrants, the WHO noted, after finding that only half of the dozens of countries surveyed between 2018 and 2021 provided publicly funded healthcare to them at the same level as other citizens. “This highlights the urgent need for health systems to adapt and address the persisting inequities and changing demographic needs of global populations,” WHO said.
Despite the multiple setbacks to public health caused by COVID-19, the UN health agency insisted that progress has been made towards achieving better health for all, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These include the fact that since 2018, an additional 1.5 billion people achieved better health and wellbeing globally, and 585 million more people today have access to universal health coverage.
Pandemic treaty talks
In a bid to head off a future pandemic, the WHO is leading highly complex discussions with UN Member States to draft and negotiate a convention to agree on the collective steps that will be needed from governments around the world.
The aim is to present the outcome of these negotiations at the next World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva next week, where the WHO’s 194 Member States are scheduled to adopt the international accord.
Participation in the agreement by countries would be voluntary – contrary to online disinformation campaigns falsely alleging that the accord would mean surrendering sovereignty - and in the interests of the citizens of those countries and others, offering more effective pandemic preparedness and response.
According to WHO, negotiations on a future agreement revolve around the need to ensure equitable access to the tools needed to prevent pandemics – vaccines, protective equipment, information and expertise – and universal access to healthcare for everyone.
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