{"id":46345,"date":"2025-04-25T05:09:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T23:39:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46345"},"modified":"2025-05-17T21:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T15:51:10","slug":"whos-new-global-pandemic-treaty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/whos-new-global-pandemic-treaty\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO&#8217;s New Global Pandemic Treaty: A Milestone for Future Preparedness"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Global Pandemic Treaty Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Need For a Global Pandemic Treaty<\/li>\n<li>Key Provisions of the Pandemic Treaty<\/li>\n<li>Criticism of the Global Pandemic Treaty<\/li>\n<li>Global Pandemic Treaty FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Global Pandemic Treaty Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>After over three years of negotiations, WHO member states (excluding the United States) have agreed on a draft of a legally binding treaty aimed at improving global preparedness and response to future pandemics.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This treaty, set to be ratified at the World Health Assembly in May, marks only the second legally binding accord in WHO\u2019s history\u2014the first being the 2003 tobacco control treaty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Need For a Global Pandemic Treaty<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Unequal Vaccine Distribution During COVID-19<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>When the Omicron variant surged in late 2021, vaccine-producing countries hoarded doses, leaving low-income nations with limited or no access.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This highlighted deep global inequities in pandemic response.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Preventable Loss of Lives<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>A 2022 study in Nature estimated that over one million lives could have been saved with fairer vaccine distribution.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>By that time, COVID-19 had already taken more than seven million lives globally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Systemic Failures in Global Response<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>A 2021 report by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response blamed poor strategic choices, inequality, and lack of coordination for turning the pandemic into a major humanitarian disaster.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>A Call for Coordinated Global Action<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>In response to these failures, WHO member states began negotiating a pandemic treaty in December 2021.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>After 13 rounds of talks over nearly three-and-a-half years, a draft agreement was reached to ensure better preparedness, equity, and coordination in future pandemics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Provisions of the Pandemic Treaty<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The treaty introduces a system where pharmaceutical companies gain access to scientific data\u2014like pathogen samples and genomic sequences\u2014in exchange for a commitment to equitably share the resulting vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics during a pandemic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Production Allocation to WHO<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Manufacturers participating in the agreement must allocate:\n<ul>\n<li>10% of their pandemic-related products (vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics) to WHO free of charge, and<\/li>\n<li>An additional 10% at affordable prices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Technology and Knowledge Sharing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Member states are expected to encourage or incentivize the transfer of technology and know-how, enabling developing countries to manufacture their own medical tools during pandemics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conditions on Publicly Funded Research<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Countries must create policies that require any publicly funded research\u2014whether at universities or private companies\u2014to ensure equitable and timely access to resulting treatments or diagnostics during health emergencies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Government Intervention for Public Benefit<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The treaty empowers governments to intervene when life-saving medicines, developed using public funds, are unaffordable or inaccessible, ensuring availability for citizens and vulnerable populations worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Criticism of the Global Pandemic Treaty<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Limited Authority of the WHO<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>While the treaty is considered a major step forward, it does not grant the WHO any legal power over individual countries.<\/li>\n<li>Clause 24 explicitly states that the WHO cannot direct or change any national laws or policies.\u00a0\n<ul>\n<li>It also cannot enforce travel bans, lockdowns, vaccine mandates, or any public health measures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>No Enforcement Mechanism<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The WHO has no power to ensure compliance. In a future crisis, countries could again prioritize national interests\u2014such as hoarding vaccines\u2014without facing consequences.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This weakens the treaty\u2019s enforceability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Concerns from the Pharmaceutical Industry<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Pharma leaders argue that unclear rules around intellectual property and benefit-sharing may discourage investment in high-risk pandemic research.<\/li>\n<li>They emphasized the need for legal certainty to maintain innovation and public-private partnerships in future health emergencies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of Clarity in Key Provisions<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The \u201cpathogen access and benefit sharing\u201d system\u2014central to the treaty\u2014lacks detailed implementation guidelines, raising concerns about its practicality and effectiveness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Absence of the United States<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The U.S., a major player in vaccine and drug production, withdrew from negotiations after Donald Trump\u2019s return to power.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Its absence significantly weakens the treaty\u2019s impact.<\/li>\n<li>Experts described the lack of U.S. participation as a \u201cgaping hole\u201d in global pandemic preparedness efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Global Pandemic Treaty FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the global pandemic treaty?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> A legally binding WHO accord to improve pandemic preparedness and equitable access.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> Why was the treaty needed?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> To address COVID-19-era vaccine hoarding and global health inequality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> What are key treaty provisions?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Fair vaccine sharing, tech transfer, and publicly funded research access.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> Does WHO have enforcement power?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> No, the treaty gives no legal authority over national governments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> Why is US absence significant?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The US dominates vaccine production; its absence weakens treaty impact.<\/p>\n<p>\n<strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-global\/global-pandemic-treaty-9958971\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/16-04-2025-who-member-states-conclude-negotiations-and-make-significant-progress-on-draft-pandemic-agreement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WHO<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c7vn1r3ge2jo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore WHO\u2019s historic pandemic treaty aimed at equitable access to vaccines and stronger global coordination. Learn what it includes and its limitations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46346,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}