In a historic step forward, the Health Assembly, the annual meeting of its 194 member countries, today agreed on a set of key amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) and made a concrete commitment to complete the negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year at the latest, and possibly as early as 2024. These decisive steps have been taken to ensure that all countries have comprehensive and robust systems to protect the health and safety of the entire population, wherever they are, against the risk of future outbreaks and pandemics.
These decisions, taken jointly on the final day of the 77th World Health Assembly, are an important step by countries to draw on lessons learned from various global health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The set of amendments to the Regulation will strengthen global preparedness, surveillance and response to public health emergencies, including pandemics.
“The historic decisions taken today demonstrate the common desire of Member States to protect their own population, and the planet as a whole, from the risk that public health emergencies and future pandemics pose to us all,” declared the Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO. «The amendments to the International Health Regulations will strengthen the ability of countries to detect and respond to future outbreaks and pandemics by strengthening their own national capacities, and coordination between States, in disease surveillance, information exchange and response . This is underpinned by a commitment to equity, the understanding that health threats do not recognize national borders and that preparedness is a collective endeavor.”
Dr Tedros added: “The decision to conclude the Pandemic Agreement over the next year shows how much countries want it and how urgent they see it, because we are not talking about if there will be a new pandemic, but when it will happen. will produce. The strengthening of the IHR that has been approved today is a powerful springboard to complete the Pandemic Agreement, which, once completed, can help prevent a repeat of the devastation that COVID-19 caused both to health and to societies and the economies.
The new amendments to the IHR include:
- the introduction of a definition of pandemic emergency to launch more effective international collaboration in response to events that could lead to or already constitute a pandemic. This definition of a pandemic emergency assumes a higher level of alarm that is based on the current IHR mechanisms, including the determination of a public health emergency of international concern. According to the definition, a pandemic emergency is a communicable disease that has, or entails a high risk of having, wide geographical spread to or within several States; that exceeds, or carries a high risk of exceeding, the capacity of health systems to respond in those States; that causes, or carries a high risk of causing, significant social and/or economic disruption, including disruption to international traffic and trade; and that requires rapid, equitable and strengthened coordinated international action, with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach;
- a commitment to solidarity and equity in terms of strengthening access to medical products and financing. This includes establishing a Financial Coordination Mechanism to support the identification of the financing necessary to “provide an equitable response to the needs and priorities of developing countries, in particular with a view to developing, strengthening and maintaining core capacities”, and other capabilities related to prevention, preparedness and response to pandemic emergencies, and enable access to this funding;
- the establishment of a Committee of States Parties to facilitate the effective implementation of the Regulations as amended. The Committee will promote and support cooperation between States Parties for the effective implementation of the IHR; and
- the Creation of National Authorities for the IHR in order to improve coordination regarding the implementation of the Regulation at national level and between countries.
“Experience from epidemics and pandemics, from Ebola and Zika to COVID-19 and monkeypox, showed us where we needed better public health surveillance, response and preparedness across the country.” the world,” said Dr. Ashley Bloomfield of New Zealand, Co-Chair of the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) and the Drafting Group that facilitated negotiations on the amendment package during the World Health Assembly. Health. «The countries knew what had to be done, and we did it. “I feel deeply proud to have been part of this process.”
Dr. Abdullah Assiri of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, also Co-Chair of the Working Group, added: “The amendments to the International Health Regulations strengthen mechanisms for collective protection and preparedness against the risks of outbreaks and pandemic emergencies. “The powerful demonstration of global support for a more robust Regulation that we have witnessed today also constitutes a notable boost for the negotiation process of an international Pandemic Agreement, a much-needed instrument.”
Plan agreed to conclude negotiations for a Pandemic Agreement
The countries agreed to continue negotiating the proposed Pandemic Agreement to improve international coordination, collaboration and equity for the prevention, preparation and response to future pandemics.
WHO Member States decided to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, established in December 2021, to complete the work of negotiating a Pandemic Agreement within one year, for the World Health Assembly in 2025 , or earlier, if possible, at an extraordinary session of the Health Assembly in 2024.
“There was a clear consensus among all Member States on the need for a new instrument to help the world better combat a full-blown pandemic,” said Precious Matsoso of South Africa, Co-Chair of both the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body of the Agreement on Pandemics and the Drafting Group on the agenda items of the World Health Assembly relating to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body and the International Health Regulations.
The other Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, Mr Roland Driece of the Netherlands, said: “The great result of today’s adoption of the amendments to the International Health Regulations will give us the impetus we need to finalize the Agreement on Pandemics. “Clearly, there is the will and purpose to do this, and we now have the time to complete this agreement for generations to come.”
Editorial notes
The IHR (2005), the instrument that took over from the International Health Regulations of 1951, was designed to maximize collective efforts to manage public health events while minimizing the disruption they could cause to travel and commerce. There are 196 States Parties: the 194 Member States of the WHO plus Liechtenstein and the Holy See.
At an extraordinary meeting of the Health Assembly in December 2021, WHO Member States launched the process to develop the first global agreement on pandemics, to prevent a repeat of global impacts for the health, as well as the economic and social consequences, of COVID-19.