New York: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with 153 countries voting in favour, three against and two abstaining, after objections from the United States and a few other countries prevented the text from being approved by consensus.
Argentina, Israel and the United States voted against the declaration, while New Zealand and Paraguay abstained.
The text was initially due to be approved by consensus at a high-level meeting on September 25. However, objections from the United States and a few other states blocked the move, pushing the issue back to the General Assembly for a vote.
The political declaration adopted on Monday, which is non-binding, calls for stronger national, regional and international cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, guided by science, equity and respect for human rights. It also welcomes the adoption last year of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Pandemic Agreement.
Highlighting the importance of international cooperation in tackling global health threats, Chile's representative said 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.”
Welcoming the General Assembly's adoption of the declaration, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision reflected a strong commitment by member states to work together on pandemic preparedness and response.
“WHO welcomes this strong commitment by UN Member States to continue working together on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response,” Tedros said.
He also urged countries to translate their commitments into action, particularly by completing negotiations on the pathogen access and benefit-sharing system, known as PABS, which remains a key step towards the implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
“The world has come a long way since COVID-19. We urge countries to now fulfil the commitments they have made – especially to finalise negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) annex, so the WHO Pandemic Agreement can be opened for signature, begin the process of ratification and enter into force as international law,” he said.
The Pandemic Agreement cannot be opened for signature until member states complete negotiations on the PABS annex, which would establish a system for sharing pathogen samples and genetic data, alongside arrangements for sharing the benefits arising from their use.
Under the proposed system, countries contributing pathogen samples and genetic data would receive a share of resulting vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
However, negotiations on the annex have stalled amid disagreements between developing countries and some high-income European nations, alongside the United States. The World Health Assembly, comprising the WHO's 194 members, is due to return to the negotiations next May.
The US representative had previously raised objections to the declaration, citing “divisive ideologies that lack definitional consensus” as well as references to the continuing negotiations on the PABS annex.
Meanwhile, the WHO on Monday launched a five-year strategy for its Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence to detect emerging health threats within 24 hours.
Established in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hub aims to enable every country to identify and understand emerging threats quickly, helping contain outbreaks before they develop into epidemics or spread internationally.
The adoption of the declaration marks a renewed commitment by a majority of UN member states to strengthen international cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, even as differences remain over the implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the mechanisms for sharing pathogens and the benefits derived from them.