Chaotic Process & Politics Affect Pandemic Agreement Negotiations at WHO As Countries Struggle to Reach Consensus, Could Risk IHR Process
Newsletter Edition #96 [Treaty Talks]
Hi,
With about 48 hours to go for the 77th World Health Assembly, the two Big Ticket items on the table, are far from ready for adoption by WHO member states.
Read our edition today on the state of play. We also present statements made by countries to give you a sense of the mood.
Exceptionally, we also present The Files View an editorial on these matters. Negotiators and many of those involved in these discussions have been operating at sub-optimal levels of well-being. Countries need more time to conclude these negotiations in a meaningful manner. Delegations should not be rushed not only for themselves, but also for the sake of the millions of people, they represent. An agreement without coherence serves no one.
We will continue to watch these processes as we have over the last three years. But I must confess, I am getting a bit tired of the disguised reprimands coming our way for doing our job. Guess we are doing something right!
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Our gratitude to our subscribers who help us stay in the game!
See you around at the World Health Assembly if you are in Geneva the coming week!
I will be moderating a brief discussion on the negotiations on Sunday, May 26th at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
I am also happy to present the first ever Geneva Health Files Dialogues on May 29th where we deconstruct the process and politics of these discussions to draw lessons for the future.
Best,
Priti
Feel free to write to us: patnaik.reporting@gmail.com. Follow us on X: @filesgeneva
I. STORY OF THE WEEK
Chaotic Process & Politics Affect Pandemic Agreement Negotiations at WHO As Countries Struggle to Reach Consensus, Could Risk IHR Process
By Priti Patnaik & Nishant Sirohi
Chaos, uncertainty and gloom, hung over the discussions towards a Pandemic Agreement as the final evening of the meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body drew to a close on May 24th.
Countries are heading into the 77th World Health Assembly without adequate clarity on the next steps as the mandates of both processes - the INB to establish a Pandemic Agreement, and the Working Group to amend the International Health Regulations (WGIHR) come to a conclusion this month.
There are expectations that the amendments to the IHR might still get adopted before the close of the Assembly on June 1, if informal consultations to close existing gaps succeed in forging a consensus.
Walking out of the INB meeting last night, few diplomats had a sense of how the process and next steps would look like in the coming days. “We are not sure how countries will continue the process next week. It is very open-ended.”
There was no formal press briefing, or an open discussion on the report that will be considered by the Assembly next week. Sources indicated that Bureau members were of the view that the INB had no mandate to discuss the next steps, but to only submit an outcome to the Assembly.
Without a defined path on the next steps, delegations appeared to have been left adrift. To be sure, any accompanying resolution would need to be submitted to the Assembly by the end of the first day (May 27th) as per procedures, officials explained to us.
It appears, many member states seemed to have communicated a clear message that they were not keen on continuing negotiations along the sidelines of the Assembly next week. However, as Global Health Geneva prepares for its big week, this was not completely ruled out.
“We do not know for sure, if there will be no negotiations next week. We stand ready,” one developing country negotiator told us. And yet, a number of delegations were already drawn into preparations for the World Health Assembly even before the INB concluded.
Some options that are being considered include an extension of the process by taking additional time, getting a new bureau, or even suspending the Assembly on June 1 in order to continue with the negotiations, diplomatic sources said.
A WHO statement issued last night said, “The INB Bureau, which has been guiding the process, will present a report outlining the two-plus years of work of the process, and the outcome of that work, which is the draft text that has been negotiated to date. Options for next steps to conclude the agreement process will also be put to the WHA for consideration.”
INB Bureau Co-Chair Roland Driece, of the Netherlands, said “Clearly there is agreement among governments that the world must forge a new approach to combatting pandemics. The next steps in this essential process will now be guided by the World Health Assembly.”
This story recounts the events of the past week, and what this means for the week ahead.
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