Developing countries are under pressure to accept the proposal of a legally binding pandemic treaty on a ‘One Health’ approach as pressure mounts to conclude negotiations ahead of the 77th World Health Assembly commencing on May 27, health experts said following the negotiations.
One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimise the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It recognises that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and interdependent, the World Health Organization (WHO) states.
“The proposed One Health approach not only reinforces inequity but also undermines the existing international obligations. By imposing legal obligations to share data on pathogens or genetic resources, the proposal may undermine State sovereignty over genetic resources and bypass the obligations to share the benefit emerging out of research and development (R&D) on genetic resources and their data. Another concern is the use of such data to impose import restrictions citing sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. SPS is one of the frequently used trade measures by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) members,’‘ K.M. Gopakumar, legal advisor and senior researcher with the Third World Network (TWN), said.
According to many developing country negotiators, developed countries have threatened that if One Health is not endorsed, they (developed countries) would block the proposal to establish the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system meant to facilitate equitable sharing of benefits emerging from R&D on pandemic-related pathogens, TWN, an independent non-profit international research and advocacy organisation, says.
The WHO has also issued a statement noting that the talks over the proposed pandemic agreement are set to continue in hybrid and in-person discussions over coming weeks to advance work on critical issues, including around a proposed new global system for pathogen access and benefits sharing (that is, life-saving vaccines, treatments and diagnostics), pandemic prevention, and One Health, and the financial coordination needed to scale up countries’ capacities to prepare for and respond to pandemics.
“During more than two years of intensive negotiations, WHO’s Member States have shown unwavering commitment to forging a generational agreement to protect the world from a repeat of the horrors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said in a statement.
The Member State-led Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) was established over two years ago to take this effort forward. The Bureau of the INB, which is guiding the process, will submit its outcome for consideration at the World Health Assembly.
In March 2021, heads of state and governments from two dozen countries issued a statement of commitment, calling for global collaboration on pandemics. In December 2021, WHO Member States decided to launch a global process to draft a legally binding international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
