Africa: General Assembly Adopts Pandemic Declaration, but Not By Consensus

The General Assembly on Monday adopted a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, by 153 in favour to three against (Argentina, Israel and United States) with two abstentions (New Zealand and Paraguay).

The text was due to be approved by consensus at a high-level meeting on 25 September.

Objections from the United States and a few other States blocked that, pushing the issue back to the assembly.

Read the full political declaration here.

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Chile's representative summed up one prevailing view, saying that "no country, no matter how big it might be or how prepared it might be, can alone address a threat that knows no borders."

The declaration is political and non-binding. It calls for stronger national, regional and international cooperation, guided by science, equity and respect for human rights, and it welcomes last year's landmark adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement.

Unfinished annex

The agreement cannot be opened for signature until Member States complete an annex on pathogen access and benefit-sharing - the system by which countries would share samples and genetic data.

Those that do so would receive a share of any resulting vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

Talks have stalled amid a standoff between developing countries and some high-income European nations together with the US.

The World Health Assembly - comprising the WHO's 194 members - is due to return to the annex next May.

The US representative had previously cited "divisive ideologies that lack definitional consensus" as well as the declaration's references to the continuing annex negotiations.

More action in the General Assembly

In addition to adopting the pandemic declaration, the 193-member world body had a number of items on its agenda on Monday, including the consideration of draft resolutions on the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise and a political declaration of the high-level meeting to mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the anti-racism Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

Read a summary of the meeting here.

WHO aims to spot new outbreaks within 24 hours

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday launched a five-year strategy for its Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, with the goal of detecting emerging health threats within 24 hours.

Set up in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hub wants every country to be able to identify and understand new threats quickly, so outbreaks can be contained before they become epidemics or spread internationally.

Read more about the new initiative here.