WHO member state delegates reached "an agreement in principle" on Saturday on a text that should better protect the world from future pandemics after more than three years of discussions, the co-chair of the negotiating body told AFP.
"We have an agreement in principle and we are putting aside the final agreement of the capitals," explained Anne-Claire Amprou, co-chair of the negotiating body and France's ambassador for global health, specifying that the delegates will meet on Tuesday in Geneva "to polish the text" and give their final agreement.
"Negotiations on the pandemic agreement are still ongoing – member states agreed to resume on Tuesday, after working through the night without sleep for more than 24 hours without a break. We are very grateful for their commitment," wrote WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who remained in the room with delegates throughout the night.
The 13th round of negotiations began on Monday in Geneva.
The text will still have to be adopted at the World Health Assembly in May in Geneva by all member countries of the World Health Organization.
French President Emmanuel Macron wasted no time in welcoming this "crucial decision" on X. "With the agreement in principle for a pandemic treaty, the international community will equip itself with a new system to better protect us. Faster, more efficient, more united, and more resilient," he wrote.
– Rich, poor-
One of the main points of contention on Friday was paragraph 11 of the 30-page text, which defines the transfer of technologies for the production of health products related to pandemics, particularly for the benefit of developing countries, several sources told AFP.
The issue had been at the heart of many grievances among poorer countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, when they saw rich countries hoarding vaccine doses and other tests.
Several countries, where the pharmaceutical industry is a major economic player, are opposed to the idea of mandatory transfers and insist on its voluntary nature.
Dr. Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a leader of the People's Medicines Alliance, sees the text as "a step forward." But she denounces "intense lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry," after which "wealthy countries like the EU, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have ensured that the agreement falls short" of the public health objectives hoped for by developing countries.
She points out that there are still points not yet highlighted in green in the text, a sign that they are unanimously approved.
Nor is everything settled for the Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), David Reddy. "Countries need to give themselves a little more time to get this right and allow them to agree on a practical agreement that will strengthen our preparedness and response to future pandemics," he wrote in an email to AFP.
For Ambassador Amprou, "we had to negotiate this week with all the Member States in a very constructive and very positive approach, it is a real desire to reach an agreement that really makes a difference and that allows us to prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics."
– Class action –
The text was adopted in the context of a serious crisis in multilateralism and the global health system, caused by the drastic cuts in US international aid decided by President Donald Trump, at a time when the United States was by far the largest humanitarian donor. The United States was also absent from the negotiations, as Mr. Trump announced that it was leaving the organization.
For Dr. Tedros, as for Emmanuel Macron, reaching an international agreement of this kind in the current period is a good sign.
"Collective action is progressing. You can count on my commitment, and that of France," wrote the French president.
In December 2021, two years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which killed millions of people and brought the global economy to its knees, WHO member countries decided to provide the world with a text to help prevent and better manage pandemics.
The H5N1 bird flu, whose virus continues to infect new species – raising fears that transmission between humans is only a matter of time – but also the measles outbreaks in 58 countries due to vaccine distrust caused by misinformation, or the mpox that is wreaking havoc in Africa, are all warning signs.
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