Negotiations for a global agreement to deal with future pandemics: WHO Chief Scientist
In the middle of an unexpanded spread From the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said on Monday that there is a global debate about the need for an international agreement to deal effectively with future pandemics.
A few weeks ago, the World Health Assembly (WHA) met in its special session to draw up and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
Speaking at the opening of the Panex-21 seminar, a WHO chief scientist said: “Some of the discussions that are now taking place at the global level are about whether we should have a global pandemic agreement that binds all countries to certain behaviors.
“The use of biological weapons is not allowed and there are global agreements in the field of health,” he added.
Referring to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as an example, Dr Swaminathan said the convention was negotiated for several years, but in the end it laid down rules on tobacco control, which has led to a significant reduction in tobacco consumption.
“It is a good example of an international agreement that is possible in the management of a future pandemic,” a leading WHO researcher added.
Earlier this month, the WHA had agreed to launch a global process to draft and negotiate a convention, the WHO Constitutional Treaty, to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The purpose of this decision is to protect the world from future communicable disease crises.
DR. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, The WHO Director – General had said that the decision of the World Health Assembly was historic in nature, vital to its mission and represents an opportunity once a generation to strengthen the global health architecture to protect and promote human well – being. All the people.
Panex-21 is a multinational disaster management exercise organized by the Indian Army that focuses specifically on emergency relief in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The event will be attended by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and India-BIMSTEC countries.
Source: ANI