WHO member countries have been negotiating for two years on an agreement that would, among other things, improve international coordination and cooperation before and during pandemics, reports Reuters.
The World Health Organisation originally intended to reach an agreement by this week, but talks were extended after the organization failed to resolve deep divisions between rich and poorer countries on issues such as vaccine sharing and emergency preparedness.
Parallel deal
The World Health Body did, however, reach a parallel agreement to update existing legally binding health rules, known as the International Health Regulations (IHR), which includes a new, multi-tiered warning system for global health emergencies.
“The historic decisions taken today demonstrate a common desire by member states to protect their own people, and the world's, from the shared risk of public health emergencies and future pandemics,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement published on PAHO website.
