“MORE EQUITY”
As intense talks in corridors and closed rooms drew towards an end late on Tuesday, Tedros joined the negotiations, telling reporters he thought the current draft was “balanced”, and that a deal would bring “more equity”.
While taking measures to coordinate pandemic prevention, preparedness and response could be costly, “the cost of inaction is much bigger”, he insisted.
“Virus is the worst enemy. (It) could be worse than a war.”
The United States, which has thrown the global health system into crisis by slashing foreign aid spending, was not present.
US President Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal from the United Nations’ health agency and from the pandemic agreement talks after taking office in January.
However, the US absence, and Trump’s threat to slap steep tariffs on pharmaceutical products, still hung over the talks, making manufacturers and governments more jittery.
But in the end, countries reached consensus.
“REAL WORK BEGINS NOW”
Looking ahead towards implementation, the leading pharma lobby said intellectual property and legal certainty would be essential if the industry was to invest in high-risk research and development in the next crisis.
“The pandemic agreement is a starting point,” said David Reddy, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, which participated in the talks.
“We hope that in subsequent negotiations, member states maintain the conditions for the private sector to continue innovating against pathogens of pandemic potential.”
Many saw the approval of the text as a victory for global cooperation.
“At a time when multilateralism is under threat, WHO member states have joined together to say that we will defeat the next pandemic threat in the only way possible: by working together,” said former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
As the congratulatory speeches continued on towards daybreak, Eswatini’s representative stressed that “whilst we celebrate this moment, we need not rest on our laurels”.
“The real work begins now.”
