After more than two years of negotiations, World Health Organization (WHO) member states failed to reach an agreement on a draft global treaty aimed at fighting future pandemics. This outcome highlights the challenges of achieving international consensus on health policies, especially when national interests and sovereignty are at stake.
WHO officials had hoped to present the draft at this week’s annual meeting of health ministers in Geneva. The treaty aimed to set guidelines for the 194 member countries to better manage and prevent future pandemics, including improved sharing of resources. However, experts warned that the draft lacked enforceable consequences for countries that do not comply, undermining its potential effectiveness.
The co-chairs of the treaty-drafting process did not specify the exact causes of the deadlock, but diplomats noted significant disagreements over the sharing of information about emerging pathogens and the distribution of technologies to combat them. The draft proposed that WHO should receive 20% of pandemic-related products like tests, treatments, and vaccines and urged countries to disclose their private company deals.
Earlier this month, U.S. Republican senators expressed strong opposition to the draft treaty, arguing that it threatened intellectual property rights and would disproportionately empower the WHO. They urged the Biden administration not to endorse the treaty, highlighting concerns about national sovereignty and the potential overreach of the WHO.
Britain’s health department echoed these sentiments, stating that it would only agree to an accord that aligns with British national interests and sovereignty. Meanwhile, many developing countries argued that the treaty was unfair, as it could require them to provide virus samples for vaccine development but leave them unable to afford the resulting vaccines and treatments.
Despite these disagreements, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted that the failure to finalize the treaty does not signify a complete setback. “We will try everything — believing that anything is possible — and make this happen because the world still needs a pandemic treaty,” he said. “Many of the challenges that caused a serious impact during COVID-19 still exist.”
If adopted, the treaty would legally bind WHO member nations to policies on pathogen surveillance and the sharing of scientific data regarding outbreaks. However, the ongoing debate underscores the complexities of balancing global health initiatives with national interests and the protection of intellectual property rights.
