The recent resurgence of hantavirus on the MV Hondius cruise ship and of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, not on the official agenda, were raised on the first day of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA), which runs until Saturday in Geneva. The WHO invited Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a special guest, as Spain agreed to welcome the MV Hondius to Tenerife on May 10 to allow for the evacuation of more than 120 people.
"No country can get through this alone. And protecting others is the best way to protect our own societies."Mr. Sanchez argued, receiving a standing ovation from the delegates. "In our time, defending common sense has become a form of rebellion, because there is a pandemic that no one wants to contain: the pandemic of selfishness." he stated.
Due to delays in the discussions, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will finally deliver his keynote address on Tuesday. But he warned on Monday that the recent hantavirus outbreak and theEbola epidemic "These are just the latest crises in our turbulent world." "From conflicts and economic crises to climate change and reduced international aid, we are living in difficult, dangerous, and divisive times."he warned.
"The situation remains fragile"
The World Health Assembly (WHA) comes after a difficult year for the WHO, weakened by these cuts and Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the organization. “The WHO’s budget has been reduced by approximately 211,300, or nearly one billion dollars. Hundreds of jobs have been eliminated, and programs have been cut. The WHO had to, and was able to, undergo profound reform in the face of this emergency.” noted the Swiss Minister of Health, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider.
"The situation remains fragile" but this organization has "Succeeded in raising the majority of the funds" necessary for the next two years, Suerie Moon, co-director of the Centre for Global Health at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, told AFP. According to her, the hantavirus crisis clearly illustrates this "Why the world needs an effective, trustworthy, impartial, and well-funded WHO."
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Iran, Palestinian territories and Ukraine
On the first day of the Assembly, WHO member states refused to include on the meeting's agenda an additional item aimed at inviting Taiwan to participate as an observer, the island – which China considers part of its territory – having lost this status in 2016. In addition, several sensitive resolutions, particularly on Ukraine, the Palestinian territories and Iran, are expected to generate heated debate this week.
Countries should give themselves another year to finalize negotiations on a key component of the pandemic treaty. This system is intended to facilitate the rapid and equitable sharing of viruses, their genetic data, and the resulting health products—vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests. According to a diplomatic source, one of the reasons for the failure of negotiations so far is due to "The legacy of the Covid crisis" which means that"There is still a strong distrust in the room between developed and developing countries."
American and Argentinian withdrawals
They are also expected to decide on Argentina's request to withdraw, as this country, supported by Israel, had submitted a resolution to that effect. Uncertainty remains, however, regarding the withdrawal of the United States, which is not up to date with its mandatory contributions to the WHO, a prerequisite for its departure.
As of January, no decision had been made by the WHO Executive Board on the request. "It's reasonable to assume that there will be no decision on the United States this week either."a diplomatic source told AFP.
According to several observers, drawing more attention to this issue would serve no one's interests, especially since the United States considers that it withdrew from the organization last January. The reform of the"Global health architecture", A highly fragmented sector with a multitude of organizations that do not always work together will also be at the heart of the Assembly's discussions, where member states will have to decide on the establishment of a formal process in this regard.
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