Poor countries on the backfoot as WHO pandemic treaty talks begin

Poor countries on the backfoot as WHO pandemic treaty talks begin

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At the WHO, 18 months of tough negotiations lie ahead on the 32-page document, with a deal targeted by May 2024. One diplomat estimated that the negotiations alone would take 400 hours.

In parallel, country teams are discussing setting up a G20 pandemic fund and reforming WHO’s existing health emergency regulations. Experts pursuing the latter have to sift through more than 20 proposals containing nearly 300 amendments.

To respond to the challenge, some Western countries, such as the United States, have appointed a chief negotiator. US Representative Pamela Hamamoto said this week that despite progress, the draft was “not yet ready for us to use”.

Meanwhile, Claire Wenham, associate professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said “smaller governments (will) not be able to engage in the process, because they will be completely overwhelmed.”

Many poor countries lack technical experts to advise on WHO matters within the diplomatic mission in Geneva, where the UN agency is based. Instead, diplomats from smaller countries divide their time between other topics such as health and trade.

South Africa’s Precious Matsoso, co-chair of the pandemic treaty talks, told Reuters countries could hire experts to help, or band together for regional representation.

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