May 2024 Deadline Conditional on Meeting Demands on Equity: 29 Member States of the Equity Group
Newsletter Edition #51 [Treaty Talks - The Files Brief]
Hi,
To keep up with what is expected to be fast-moving negotiations towards a new Pandemic Agreement, and changes to the International Health Regulations, we are trying to experiment with shorter updates from Geneva, in addition to our signature long-form analyses.
We are calling this The Files Brief, to capture key turns in the current negotiations in global health.
In this short edition, we bring you a statement by the Equity Group comprising 29 countries pushing for “response” measures during health emergencies.
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Until next week when we will be reporting on the next Intergovernmental Negotiating Body meeting in Geneva.
Best,
Priti
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I. THE FILES BRIEF
May 2024 Deadline Conditional on Meeting Demands on Equity: 29 Member States of the Equity Group
Starting Monday, 6th November, WHO member states will gather for the seventh meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body.
What to look out for:
Whether all countries will agree to adopt the Negotiating Text as the basis to commence negotiations.
Whether the gut-wrenching humanitarian disaster unfolding in the Palestinian Territories, that has Israel violating International Humanitarian Law, in response to attacks by terror group Hamas, will bleed into discussions at WHO. Recall, that when the Russian aggression in Ukraine began last year, WHO member states were divided and geopolitics colored deliberations in global health.
The INB Bureau has chosen to refer to a Pandemic Agreement in the Negotiating Text. This is not incidental. We will know more on whether such a choice means moving away from a Framework Convention approach.
The dynamics during INB7 spread between November and December, will determine whether countries will stick to the May 2024 deadline to conclude these discussions.
A strong statement from the Equity Group this week, makes this rather clear: “In the spirit of strengthening global health governance, the Group for Equity reaffirmed their full commitment to the negotiation process including the mandate to adopt a consensus text at the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024, provided that the INB process results in an action- and results-oriented pandemic treaty that is just, fair and equitable in terms of rights and responsibilities of all States and cognizant of the circumstances and vulnerabilities faced by developing Member States.” [emphasis in bold ours]
See our previous update where we brought you a detailed review of the negotiating text: Draft Pandemic Agreement Text Does Not Bite the Bullet, Suggests Subsequent Protocols To Defer Commitments on Key Issues
Statement by the Equity Group:
“Developing Member States reaffirm commitment towards an equitable pandemic accord”
Geneva [October 26, 2023] – Ambassadors representing developing country Member States of WHO that identify collectively as the “Group for Equity” have reaffirmed their commitment to an equitable, balanced and robust pandemic accord as they met for the third time at the level of Permanent Representatives in Geneva on 26 October 2023.
In the meeting hosted by the South African Permanent Mission in Geneva, the Group stressed the need to reinforce equity for a more coordinated and effective global pandemic regime.
Reacting to the latest text released ten days ago, the Group noted that the document fell short of operationalisation of equity, which is a pivotal step towards a fairer and more cooperative pandemic instrument. They resolved to work towards a legally binding instrument that prioritizes equity in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The Group believes that lessons derived from the COVID-19 pandemic; which resulted in millions of deaths, unprecedented economic loss, disruption to mobility and inequitable distribution of medical products including vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics should guide the negotiations. They agreed that international solidarity and inclusivity with full respect for the common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities of Member States are exigent in achieving equity and attaining the highest standard of health for all.
The Group remains steadfast in its commitment to strengthen the negotiating text with respect to the core equity provisions of the proposed treaty, including; Health and Care Workforce (Article 7), Research and Development (Article 9), Sustainable Production (Article 10), Technology Transfer (Article 11), Access and Benefit Sharing (Article 12), Supply chain and Logistics (Article 13), Implementation capacities and support (Article 19), and Financing (Article 20). They noted that only legally binding commitments in these areas are necessary in order to realize the aspirations that led to the conception of the instrument.
In the spirit of strengthening global health governance, the Group for Equity reaffirmed their full commitment to the negotiation process including the mandate to adopt a consensus text at the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024, provided that the INB process results in an action- and results-oriented pandemic treaty that is just, fair and equitable in terms of rights and responsibilities of all States and cognizant of the circumstances and vulnerabilities faced by developing Member States. [emphasis in bold ours]
The Group for Equity is composed of the following countries that are actively engaged in the pandemic treaty negotiations: 1. Argentina, 2. Bangladesh, 3. Botswana, 4. Brazil, 5. China, 6. Colombia, 7. Dominican Republic, 8. Egypt, 9. El Salvador, 10. Eswatini, 11. Ethiopia, 12. Fiji, 13. Guatemala, 14. India, 15. Indonesia, 16. Iran, 17. Kenya, 18. Malaysia, 19. Mexico, 20. Namibia, 21. Pakistan, 22. Palestine, 23. Paraguay, 24. Peru, 25. The Philippines, 26. South Africa, 27. Tanzania, 28. Thailand, 29. Uruguay
It will be noted that the Group issued their first joint statement which was delivered by the Philippines on 12 June 2023 at the 5th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body.
The Group for Equity have convened twice previously at the level of Ambassadors hosted by the Permanent Missions of Brazil and Pakistan in Geneva, and coordinate frequently at the level of experts.
Also see:
The Urgency of Compulsory Licensing Provision for Transfer of Technology in the Pandemic Treaty: A Case Study on the WHO mRNA Hub: Medicines Law & Policy
Knowledge Ecology International roundtable on the advanced, unedited INB pandemic treaty text (October 2023 version)
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