Tokyo, 04 April, /AJMEDIA/
Nations set themselves a deadline of May 2024 by which they should reach an agreement on what would be the world’s first-ever pandemic accord, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Ambassador for Sustainable Global Health Finance, the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, and the former Prime Minister of the UK said regarding the open letter of more than 100 world leaders and experts on the pandemic agreement discussed by WHO member states, AJMEDIA reports.
“In the throes of the COVID-19 disaster, which, officially, claimed seven million lives and wiped $2 trillion from the world economy, inter-governmental negotiations to reach an international agreement on future pandemic non-proliferation were begun in December 2021 between 194 of the world’s 196 nations. Nations set themselves a deadline of May 2024 by which they should reach an agreement on what would be the world’s first-ever pandemic accord,” the statement reads.
It is noted that the ninth round of Pandemic Accord negotiations was held at the end of March.
“Signatories of the open letter hope their combined influence will encourage all 194 nations to maintain the courage of their COVID-years conviction and make their own collective ambition of an international pandemic protocol a reality by the intended May deadline to enable ratification by the World Health Assembly at its May 2024 Annual General Assembly. Taking a swipe at those who wrongly believe national sovereignty may be undermined by this major international step forward for public health, the signatories say, ‘there is no time to waste,” and they call on the leaders of the 194 nations taking part in the current negotiations to “redouble their efforts to complete the accord by the May deadline’,” said the statement.
