The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 9th September, 2022 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

The Outline of an Essential Global Pandemic Treaty

Context: A draft international pandemic treaty governing prevention, preparedness and response of future pandemics will be ready for negotiation in 18 months, said Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of the World Health Organization (WHO).

What is the Pandemic Treaty?

• The need for an updated set of rules was felt after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the shortcomings of global health systems.
• The Health Assembly adopted a decision titled “The World Together” at its second special session since it was founded in 1948.
• Under the decision, the health organization established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate the contents of the pandemic treaty in compliance with Article 19 of the WHO Constitution.

What is it likely to entail?

• The pandemic treaty is expected to cover aspects like data sharing and genome sequencing of emerging viruses and equitable distribution of vaccines and drugs and related research.
• Solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic have seen an inequitable distribution of vaccines so far, with poorer countries at the mercy of others to receive preventive medication.

Why need such treaty?

• Most countries have followed the “me-first” approach which is not an effective way to deal with a global pandemic.
• A widely-accepted theory points that the novel coronavirus may have jumped from animals to humans in a wildlife market of China.
• Many nations want a ban on wildlife markets.
• There was an inequitable distribution of vaccines and drugs during COVID-19. The poorer countries were at the mercy of developed nations to receive medication.
• More than 5.9 million people have lost their lives to COVID-19. In India, over 34 million cases have been reported so far and the death toll stands at over five lakh.

Issues in negotiations

• While the EU wants the treaty to be legally binding, the U.S., Brazil and India have expressed reservations about the same.
• The legal nature of the treaty is yet to be defined.

Perspectives of various countries

• The European Union (EU) wants a ban on wildlife markets to be included in the treaty. This proposal is in the backdrop of the widely-accepted theory that the novel coronavirus may have spread from animals to humans in a wildlife market of Wuhan, China.
• EU also wants the treaty to be legally binding. However, the U.S., Brazil, and India have expressed reservations about the same. The legal nature of the treaty is not defined.

What is Article 19 of the WHO Constitution?

• Article 19 of the WHO Constitution gives the World Health Assembly the authority to adopt conventions or agreements on matters of health.
• A two-third majority is needed to adopt such conventions or agreements.
• The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was set up under Article 19 and it came into force in 2005.

Why is this treaty not a sufficient step to fight present or future pandemics?

• Treaty only provides recommendations for tackling a particular issue while ignoring that the countries especially in the south require resources and capacities to reach the public health targets.
• There is no focus on bridging these deficiencies or capacity inequities. That rich countries have given out far more booster shots in four months than poor countries have given out doses all year, reflects this capacity inequity b/w global North and the South.
• Any global effort must ensure distributed capacities so that countries and regions in the south have sovereignty over essential medicines, materials, manufacturing and supply chains.