Honourable Ministers of Health,
Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body,
Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations,
Regional Director Dr Moeti,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Dr Moeti, thank you for convening Member States to discuss these historic and vital reforms. I cannot underscore enough the importance of these twin processes.
The COVID-19 pandemic had profound impacts on lives and livelihoods, health systems, societies and economies around the world.
The pandemic affected all countries, so the response must be truly global and multilateral, working through WHO’s unique mandate in global health.
The International Health Regulations are the cornerstone of detecting and responding to diseases that spread internationally.
But COVID-19 exposed gaps in compliance with, and implementation of, the IHR. These gaps must be closed urgently.
We need a stronger IHR that is fit-for-purpose.
The proposed amendments address crucial areas, including compliance, cooperation, and more efficient communication.
Fixing the IHR is only part of the solution.
The world needs an overarching, binding agreement between nations, akin to agreements on other major threats to health such as tobacco and climate change.
An international pandemic accord can help to ensure equity, solidarity, and international cooperation both before and during global health emergencies.
As we craft these two landmark agreements to make the world safer, it is imperative that they work together as part of a coherent and aligned reform effort.
We must ensure capacities are in place to prepare for and respond to emergencies and pandemics, to provide equitable access to pandemic-related products, including diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.
African countries were hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, both because of inequitable access to medical products, but also because when they reported the new Omicron variant as called for by the IHR, other countries imposed travel measures against them.
That is why your participation in these reform efforts is so important. You need to use your voice to make sure your needs and expectations are considered during these negotiations. The key is active engagement.
So I urge you to actively engage in this once in a lifetime opportunity and deliver the pandemic accord in May 2024, as a generational commitment that it is grounded in equity and defies the status quo.
The next pandemic will not wait for us. We must be ready.
Second, I urge you to deliver strong, effective and targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations in May 2024.
We must seize this opportunity to be better prepared for the future.
I thank you.