PAHO brings together the health authorities of the Americas to discuss the future instrument on pandemics

Washington, DC, March 14, 2023 (PAHO) – The preliminary draft of a new convention, agreement or other international health instrument on the prevention, preparedness and response to pandemics was the focus of a regional meeting facilitated today by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington.

During the meeting, authorities from the ministries of health and international relations of the Americas received the latest update on the deliberations of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) created to draft and negotiate the instrument, which will be presented for approval by the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2024.

Opening the meeting, the Director of PAHO and Regional Director of WHO for the Americas, Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, considered that the new agreement will be “an opportunity to leave the world and the new generations better prepared” to face a future pandemic.

“COVID-19 showed that no one was well prepared to respond to a public health emergency like the pandemic,” said the PAHO Director, and considered that “the lessons of the pandemic should be reflected in the new instrument.”

Among them, he mentioned the importance of transparent, objective, real-time and evidence-based communication, and equity in access to personal protective equipment, medicines, vaccines and other health technologies. “Equitable access to transmission control and life-saving measures is an ethical, moral and health imperative,” she stressed.

In December 2021, the 194 Member States of WHO, at an extraordinary meeting of the World Health Assembly, agreed to launch this process to create a new instrument, which could consist of a global commitment to collaborate to prevent outbreaks have repercussions in the same way that the COVID-19 pandemic did.

“Crises are a good time to make changes,” considered the Director of PAHO. “Reviewing the mechanisms we have today is everyone’s responsibility and the new instrument can serve to advance the capacities of the countries” to respond to a health emergency.

Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Director of Health Emergencies at PAHO, described the meeting promoted by PAHO as “extremely important” for the process of understanding the future instrument, as well as for Member States to “actively participate in the negotiations and dialogue about decisions that are going to be important for countries and for every person on the planet.”

“We are coming out of the pandemic, but there are still very important challenges,” remarked Dr. Ugarte and called to “seize the opportunity” presented by the new agreement to reach agreements that make it possible to better prevent and respond to a health emergency.

The agreement could complement other initiatives, actions and measures aimed at making the world safer from pandemics, in particular the International Health Regulations (IHR) of 2005.

Dr. Barbosa invited the representatives of the countries to seek regional consensus towards the fifth round of deliberations of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, which will take place from April 3 to 6 in Geneva.