Leaders of 23 countries joined with the World Health Organisaiton on Treaty to back the creation of an international treaty for health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic currently plaguing the world.
The idea would ensure equitable access to vaccines and medicines.
Leaders of Fiji, Portugal, Romania, Britain, Rwanda, Kenya, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Chile, Costa Rica, Albania, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Senegal, Spain, Norway, Serbia, Indonesia, Ukraine and the WHO were the first to back the idea on Tuesday.
In a joint opinion article, the leaders of these countries wrote: “There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone. We believe that nations should work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response.”
The main goal of the treaty would be to create better alert systems and data sharing across the globe, work together on research and make sure all people had equal access to vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment.
“We are convinced that it is our responsibility, as leaders of nations and international institutions, to ensure that the world learns the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the leaders wrote.
