Canada is in favour of a global pandemic treaty. According to Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada supports the formation of a new worldwide convention on pandemic emergency preparedness, which will be discussed at a meeting held of the World Health Assembly today.
It is only the second time in the group’s history that it has convened an urgent conference of this nature. If all members agree, the assembly will begin work on an international convention on pandemic protection. The goal is to avoid another significant crisis like COVID-19 and its new, more highly contagious forms caused by COVID-19.
The goal is to avoid a global crisis similar to the one caused by COVID-19. Duclos, who would act as the federal government’s main representative, expressed that the convention would help countries interact and allow Canada to discuss its expertise more openly on the global stage.
According to the WHO working group on the issue, governments should look to create the convention in concert with efforts to enhance existing International Health Regulations.
A draught resolution to be voted by the World Health Assembly falls short of directly asking for work on establishing a “pandemic treaty” or “legally binding document,” as some have suggested, which may strengthen the international response if — not if — a new pandemic breaks out.
Members of the European Union and others wanted language that called for progress toward a treaty. Still, the US and a few other countries protested that the substance of any agreement should be worked out first before a name is given to it. A “treaty” would imply a legally binding agreement that would need to be ratified — and would almost certainly result in internal political wrangling in some nations.
Source: CBC News
