The 77th World Health Assembly is around the corner. From the 27th of May to the 1st of June, discussions will take place between the WHO, member states, and non-state actors, while we remain in our homes excluded from the conversation. 

According to the United Nations foundation : "The most notable discussions are expected to be around Member States’ plans to improve PPPR mechanisms. Following years of negotiations, WHA77 marks the deadline for amendments to the existing International Health Regulations (2005) and adoption of a new pandemic agreement or accord." 

Supposedly created to prevent any wrongdoings from happening in pandemic times (such as inequality of access to treatments or pharmaceutical companies' negligence for example), the reality is quite different.

The increase in influence and power of the WHO and private actors is highlighted throughout the agreement. For example, in Article 9.2(f): "The Parties shall cooperate to build (...) international collaboration and coordination, including with the private sector, to set common objectives, research goals and priorities, to develop pandemic-related products for diverse populations and settings, with a central role for the WHO". 

Even scarier, falsifying documents is encouraged, involving an increase in misinformation from authorities and media: Article 9.4 "The Parties shall support new and existing mechanisms to facilitate the rapid reporting and interpretation of data from clinical trials, to develop or modify, as necessary, relevant clinical trial guidelines, including during a pandemic." (emphasis mine). 

This is only very short excerpts from the WHO pandemic agreement that I encourage you to read in its entirety. You can find it here. 

It is crucial to be wary of rushing into support for this agreement. We need to really understand what it means and what it could lead to. The parts we have seen so far suggest a bigger picture where big companies could have too much say in how global health is managed. We must thoroughly examine the WHO pandemic agreement, focusing on honesty, responsibility, and keeping public health safe, no matter what. 

Please consider sharing this around: social media, emails, WhatsApp, etc. Talk with people, make them aware, download the flier or the QR code, and share it virtually and/or in real life. Anything helps!

Thank you 

Go raibh maith agat