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Geneva
In his closing address at the annual World Health Assembly held virtually, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "a pandemic treaty would foster improved sharing, trust and accountability."
"We appreciate the strong support expressed by dozens of Member States for the idea of a global agreement on pandemic preparedness, under article 19 of the WHO constitution"-@DrTedros #PandemicTreaty #WHA74
â World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 31, 2021
Tedros said the treaty should ensure political and financial commitment while calling for a "truly representative and inclusive" agreement.
"A #PandemicTreaty is a promise to future generations;
To sustained political and financial commitment"-@DrTedros #WHA74 https://t.co/corvgMcr5i
â World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 31, 2021
The participating nations however haven't yet created an international treaty as they urged Tedros to convene a special session of the assembly in late November to discuss the issue.
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"We look forward to discussing this idea further with member states at a special session of the World Health Assembly in November," the WHO chief said.
Tedros called for all 194 member states to commit to supporting the target of vaccinating at least 10 per cent population by the end of September and 30 per cent by the end of the year.
"Crucially, an international agreement of any kind must be designed and owned by all Member States â all. It must be truly representative and inclusive.
It must be thorough and carefully considered, but it must also be urgent"-@DrTedros #PandemicTreaty #WHA74
â World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 31, 2021
"We will still face the same vulnerabilities that allowed a small outbreak to become a global pandemic," Tedros said, adding, "one day the pandemic will be behind us, but the psychological scars will remain for those who have lost loved ones."
"The questions the pandemic is asking us cannot simply be answered with new institutions, mechanisms, facilities or processes," Tedros told the assembly in his closing remarks while adding,"the challenges we face are profound, and so must be the solutions we design."
A panel headed by ex-New Zealand PM Helen Clark and ex-president of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called for a swifter response to future pandemic even as Germany's health ministry official Björn Kümmel said the world was unprepared as it was hit by the virus.
(With Agency inputs)