The Omicron Variant Pressures Health Officials to Agree to a Global Pandemic Treaty
The panic Omicron sparked was felt in Geneva, where health officials from around the world met this week and decided to start negotiating an agreement to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the move as historic. And the agreement, to be signed in May 2024, would likely cover four major issues: governance and leadership, money for preparedness, global systems and tools that can be activated during health crises and equitable access to goods.
But countries disagree whether the agreement should be a legally binding treaty. Some want the legal form decided before the content, while others want the content negotiated before the legal form, said Jaouad Mahjour, WHO assistant director-general on emergency preparedness.
