Pandemic Treaty update
The International Negotiating Body worked all night last night to get closer on treaty language, and agreed to come back on Tuesday for more wrangling
WHO pandemic agreement within striking distance
Still to be signed off on is contentious language governing the sharing of technology for pandemic-related products such as drugs, vaccines and therapeutics.
According to the latest draft of the proposed pact, obtained by POLITICO, most of the text is now agreed. | Robert Hradil/Getty Images
APRIL 12, 2025 11:19 AM CET
BY RORY O’NEILL
World Health Organization (WHO) members will reconvene on Tuesday to finalize a deal on sharing life-saving technology with developing countries as part of a new pandemic agreement, after all-night talks brought them within striking distance of an accord.
The WHO members have reached an agreement “in principle” over how to tackle future pandemics after three years of discussions, the co-chair of the negotiating body told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.
According to the latest draft of the proposed pact, obtained by POLITICO, most of the text is now agreed.
Still to be signed off on is contentious language governing the sharing of technology for pandemic-related products such as drugs, vaccines and therapeutics.
Developing countries have pushed for strong language that will ensure they are able to scale up production in their own regions, rather than waiting in line for critical technologies.
But developed countries, including members of the European Union, have insisted throughout that any tech transfer from pharma companies must be on “voluntary and mutually agreed terms.”
Under the latest proposed fix, still subject to final confirmation, the sharing of technology should be “willingly undertaken and on mutually agreed terms.”
The deal is due to go to the WHO’s annual assembly for final approval next month.
This new language “willingly undertaken”is not different in practice from the old language “voluntary[ily].” So there is no real agreement.
The INB is the drafting group representing interested countries. To actually initiate this treaty, anything they draft would need to be accepted by 2/3 of the 194 countries potentially voting. So an agreement now would get the INB negotiators “off the hook” (after meeting for over 3 years, they cannot be criticized for not getting something together) and they can kick this can down the road to be rejected at the WHA meeting next month. The third world is NOT giving up its intellectual property (pathogens) for empty promises. They have learned their lesson, I think.
This happy talk is just that, happy talk. There is no chance the INB will come up with a draft that resolves all the contentious issues. Big pharma has refused to give away anything, claiming the decision to share drugs/vaccines with other nations is a “political” decision, i.e, first world governments will be the ones paying to donate. They won’t be giving away their intellectual property.
The INB was issuing quarterly newsletters, but the last newsletter was in October 2023. No good news since then, eh?
