April 15, 2022
GHTC delivers intervention for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body first round of public hearings on a pandemic treaty
Read time:
PATH/Christopher Nelson
Yesterday, GHTC delivered an intervention during the first round of public hearings on the development of a potential pandemic treaty, which emphasized that the research and development of health technologies, coupled with sustainable financing for research capacity strengthening, should be a central pillar of any framework.
In December 2021, the World Health Assembly established an intergovernmental negotiating body to draft and negotiate a World Health Organization (WHO) convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
The guiding question of the first round of public hearings was: What substantive elements do you think should be included in a new international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response?
GHTC's intervention as prepared is below and also available via video on the WHO website:
The Global Health Technologies Coalition welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) through these public hearings. As deliberations around the creation of this framework continue, we urge member states to consider the following essential elements:
- Firstly, while these consultations represent a good first step, civil society must continue to be involved in the creation of the instrument itself, including the drafting process. Furthermore, members of the INB should ensure that a broad spectrum of voices can be heard during these discussions, especially those from lower- and middle-income (LMIC) countries and experts.
- Second, research and development must be a central pillar of the framework. This includes strengthening norms and standards that support access and benefit sharing of data related to emerging pathogens, supporting mechanisms that strengthen local manufacturing and regulatory capacity, and facilitating research coordination that spurs innovation and the development of novel medical countermeasures that are accessible to all who need them.
- Lastly, the new instrument should be coupled with sustainable financing mechanisms, including a new global pandemic preparedness fund that increases surveillance, clinical trial, manufacturing capacities, as well as health system infrastructure strengthening in LMIC countries to address both pandemic and existing health priorities.
Tags: Advocacy action