GENEVA (AP) 鈥� The World Health Organization said member countries on Saturday approved new steps to improve global preparedness for and response to pandemics like COVID-19 and mpox, and set a new deadline for agreeing on a broader treaty.
Countries agreed by consensus to amend the International Health Regulations, which were last changed in 2005, such as by defining the term 鈥減andemic emergency鈥� and helping developing countries to gain better access to financing and medical products, WHO said.
The move came as the U.N. agency ended its six-day World Health Assembly this year, after plans to adopt a more sweeping pandemic 鈥渢reaty鈥� at the meeting largely over disagreements between developing countries and richer ones about better sharing of technology and the pathogens that trigger outbreaks.
But countries agreed to complete negotiations on the pandemic accord with the year, 鈥渁t the latest,鈥� WHO said.
鈥淭he success of the IHR amendments demonstrates that in our divided and divisive world, countries can still come together to find common cause and common ground,鈥� Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University, hailed a 鈥渂ig win for health security,鈥� and posted on X that the move 鈥渨ill simplify negotiations for the pandemic agreement.鈥�
WHO said countries have defined a pandemic emergency as a communicable disease that has a 鈥渨ide geographical spread鈥� or a high risk of one, and has exceeded or can exceed the ability of national health systems to respond.
It's also defined as an outbreak that has or could cause 鈥渟ubstantial鈥� economic or social disruption and requires quick international action, the agency said.
WHO legal officer Steven Solomon said the move to revise the health regulations does not take effect immediately, but will come into force a year after Tedros formally notifies countries of the decision.
Yuanqiong Hu, a senior legal and policy adviser at Doctors without Borders, said that the changes adopted Saturday include 鈥渋mportant provisions addressing equity in access to health products during global health emergencies.鈥�
The Associated Press
