By Michael Foli Jackidy
Ho (V/R), May 31, GNA – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the adoption of a landmark Pandemic Agreement by the World Health Assembly, aimed at making the world safer and more equitable in the face of future pandemics.
The adoption comes after three years of rigorous negotiations, prompted by the glaring gaps and inequities exposed during the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its release available to the Ghana News Agency.
The new WHO Pandemic Agreement establishes a framework of principles, strategies, and mechanisms to enhance international cooperation in key areas such as: Pandemic prevention, Pandemic preparedness, Pandemic response
A central component of the agreement is the commitment to equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics—an issue that proved highly contentious and divisive during the COVID-19 crisis.
Addressing concerns about national sovereignty, the agreement explicitly states that:
“Nothing in the WHO Pandemic Agreement shall be interpreted as providing the Secretariat of the World Health Organization, including the Director-General, any authority to direct, order, alter or prescribe the national or domestic laws or policies of any Party. Nor shall it mandate or impose requirements for specific actions such as travel bans, vaccine mandates, or lockdowns.”
This clarification is intended to assure member states that the agreement respects their autonomy while promoting cooperation to strengthen global health security.
The WHO has hailed the agreement as a “historic milestone” and a crucial step toward building a more unified and resilient global health architecture capable of confronting future health threats.
GNA
Edited by: Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah