Group of world leaders promote international treaty against future pandemics

Around 20 heads of state and government support the European Union (EU) proposal create the Pandemic Treaty to build a “stronger international health architecture” that protects future generations and guarantees “universal” access to vaccines.

“We believe that nations should work together to achieve a new international pandemic preparedness and response treaty”, agree the signatories of this proposal, led by the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who launched this idea on behalf of the 27 last fall.

Having learned the lesson from the “weaknesses and divisions” that COVID-19 has exposed, “we must seize this opportunity and unite as a global community for peaceful cooperation that extends beyond this crisis”, as “strengthening our capacities and systems to do so will take time and will require sustained political, financial and social commitment over many years», Maintain the twenty-five leaders.

Coming from five continents, including the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson O the Chilean presidents, Sebastián Piñera; Costa Rican Carlos Alvarado Quesada; the South African Cyril Ramaphosa or the South Korean Moon Jae-in.

Europe is the most represented continent, with twelve dignitaries, among whom, in addition to Johnson, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron; Romania, Klaus Iohannis; Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic; and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky; as well as the Prime Ministers of Portugal, Antonio Costa; Albania, Edi Rama; Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis; Norway, Erna Solberg; Netherlands, Mark Rutte; and the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez.

From Africa, in addition to Ramaphosa, there are the presidents of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta; Rwanda, Paul Kagame; and Senegal, Macky Sall; while from America, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley; and Asia and Oceania, the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, and the Prime Minister of Fiji, JVBainimarama, will engage.

Convinced that this pandemic is the biggest challenge facing the global community since the 1940s, the 25 signatories hope that the international community can “build a stronger international health architecture that protects future generations”.

“Preparing for pandemics requires global leadership to put in place an adequate global health system for this millennium”, argue the signatories, who urge that the international community be guided by “solidarity, justice, transparency, inclusion and equity” in this fight.

And that’s it, predict, “there will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies” and “no government or multilateral agency can face this threat alone”.

“Together, we must be better prepared to effectively predict, prevent, detect, assess and respond to pandemics in a highly coordinated manner,” they insist, given the evidence that the covid-19 pandemic has been “a harsh and painful reminder no one is safe until everyone is safe. “

For this reason, the signatories commit to “guarantee universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for this pandemic and the future. Immunization is a global public good and we will need to be able to develop, manufacture and deploy vaccines as soon as possible. “

This collective commitment would be a “milestone” in the intensification of preparedness for a pandemic at the highest political level, believe the twenty-five world leaders.

To propose that the treaty be anchored in the WHO, to join other key relevant organizations in support of the principle of “health for all”, and to build on existing global health instruments, in particular the International Health Regulations.

The main objective of the treaty would be foster a unique approach and build national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics.

Eso implicaría aumentar la cooperación internacional para mejorar los sistemas de alerta, el intercambio de datos, la investigación y la producción y distribución local, regional y mundial de medidas medicas y de salud pública, como vacunas, medicamentos, personalóstción y equipos de among others.

(With information from EFE)

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