Does the WHO Need a New Treaty for Pandemics?

Does the WHO Need a New Treaty for Pandemics?

Negotiations¹ on new rules for dealing² with pandemics have begun at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The United Nations health agency has set a target date of May 2024 for its 194-member countries to reach an agreement. The goal is to develop rules for dealing with infectious diseases that affect the world.

A new agreement is among more than 200 recommendations for improving defenses against new infectious materials. The recommendations were made in studies of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused the deaths of more than 6.2 million people in two years.

An independent advisory³ group described the WHO as "underpowered" when COVID-19 appeared. It said the agency had limited powers to investigate outbreaks and to organize measures to limit the spread of disease.

On February 17, U.S. Treasury⁴ Secretary Janet Yellen called on the G20 economic powers to create a fund at the World Bank to help prevent global pandemics. It is among the efforts that could decide the future of the 74-year-old body.

What is the Pandemic Treaty?

The WHO already has rules known as the International Health Regulations which were last updated in 2005. The rules set out countries' responsibilities when public health events can cross borders. The rules have the force of international law. These include advising the WHO immediately of health emergencies and of measures related to trade and travel.

The updates of the current version were developed after the 2002 to 2003 SARS virus outbreak. These regulations are still considered operational for regional epidemics⁵ like the Ebola virus, but not enough for a global pandemic like COVID-19.

Suggested proposals for a new agreement include the sharing of information and genome sequences of viruses. Other proposals include rules for providing vaccines⁶ fairly.

A European Union official told Reuters the E.U. is pushing for a ban on wildlife markets. It also wants incentives⁸ for reporting of new viruses or variants⁹.

Member states have until August to decide on an early version of the agreement which WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus supports. He is likely to be elected unopposed for a second term in May.

A new set of rules would be only the second major health agreement since the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It is a legally-binding¹⁰ treaty which aims to reduce smoking through taxation¹¹ and rules on labeling and advertising¹².

How do countries see an updated treaty?

The E.U. proposed a new treaty and is its biggest backer, with support from Britain, Indonesia, Kenya and some other countries.

The United States will take part in the talks, but has opposed a treaty with the force of international law. India and Brazil have also voiced concerns.

With more than 190-member countries involved, securing a new agreement will be difficult.

How would a new treaty work?

The legal nature of any new agreement remains¹³ to be defined by talks. The WHO uses special words to describe such agreements. The WHO generally calls it an "instrument." The agency has three kinds of instruments: recommendations, regulations and conventions.

Of those, regulations are automatically legally binding, or possess the force of international law, for members — unless they object.

It is not yet clear how the 2005 regulations and a new pandemic treaty might fit together.

One suggestion is that they should work together. In this proposal, existing rules would be used for local outbreaks. The new treaty would take effect if the WHO declares a pandemic.

It remains to be decided¹⁴ whether negotiators will include enforcement measures such as sanctions.

Are other reforms being considered?

Separate talks on a U.S. proposal to update the 2005 rules have been taking place.

U.S. proposals aim to increase openness and permit the WHO to faster reach places where outbreaks are happening. 

Another working group of WHO member countries is discussing reforms to the WHO funding structure. They want money to be available in the event of a pandemic. So far, the United States, which is the WHO's top donor¹⁵, has opposed plans to increase member countries' yearly payments.

Words in This Story

regulations –n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done

genome sequence –n. the genetic¹⁶ information found in DNA¹⁷

incentive⁷ –n. something that causes a person to do something or to work harder

labeling –n. images and words put on product containers that tell about the produce

sanction – n. an action that is taken to force a country to obey international laws

sovereignty –n. a country's independent authority and right to govern itself

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

4 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

5 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

6 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

7 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

8 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句

10 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

11 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

12 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

14 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

15 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

16 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

17 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。