On Tuesday, leaders of 23 nations and the World Health Organization showed support for the creation of an international treaty for future potential crises in light of the events of the past year.
The chairman of European leaders, Charles Michel, reportedly lightly raised the idea last November, but the leaders signed onto a proposal for the treaty this week.
Reuters reported that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has endorsed the idea, but official discussions have not begun, according to diplomats.
The outlet reported, “Tedros told a news conference on Tuesday that a treaty would tackle gaps exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. A draft resolution on negotiations could be presented to the WHO’s 194 member states at their annual meeting in May, he said.”
The proposal for the treaty was formally supported by the leaders of Fiji, Portugal, Romania, Britain, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Chile, Costa Rica, Albania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Spain, Norway, Serbia, Indonesia, Ukraine and the WHO itself, according to Reuters.
While the United States and China did not have leaders officially sign any agreement on the proposal, “Tedros said both powers had reacted positively to the proposal, and all states would be represented in talks,” per the outlet.
The WHO’s statement on the potential treaty, signed by the various leaders of the countries, explains what the use of such a treaty would be.
The leaders wrote, “There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone. The question is not if, but when. Together, we must be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics in a highly coordinated fashion.”
The WHO statement explains:
The main goal of this treaty would be to foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics. This includes greatly enhancing international cooperation to improve, for example, alert systems, data-sharing, research, and local, regional and global production and distribution of medical and public health counter measures, such as vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment.
It would also include recognition of a “One Health” approach that connects the health of humans, animals and our planet. And such a treaty should lead to more mutual accountability and shared responsibility, transparency and cooperation within the international system and with its rules and norms.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the treaty during a White House press briefing on Tuesday and why the United States has specifically not signed onto it. Psaki responded, “We believe it’s vital in working with international partners and other countries, and of course, strengthening and reforming our international efforts as it relates to addressing pandemics and future pandemics.”
She continued, “We do have some concerns primarily about the timing and launching into negotiations for a new treaty right now and we believe that could divert attention away from substantive issues regarding the response, preparedness for future pandemic threats, and we believe that should be our focus currently. But we are certainly open to, and looking for, continued collaboration with the global community.”
The WHO has been criticized by some for its handling of the information regarding the coronavirus pandemic, specifically in regards to its relationship with China.