WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus greets the FNIH-O’Neill Institute-UNAIDS convening on Advancing a World Together Equitably in Geneva, Switzerland.

The member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) continued negotiation of a pandemic agreement to “address gaps in preventing, preparing for, and responding to health emergencies [through] a comprehensive and coherent approach to strengthen the global health architecture … with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, prioritizing the need for equity.” The FNIH in 2023 continued its work to inform WHO and the global community as it considers the treaty. May 2024 is WHO’s self-imposed deadline to hold a vote on the pandemic agreement at the World Health Assembly.

Pathway to Impact

• The FNIH, in partnership with WHO’s collaborating center at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, convened two high-level global consultations to provide technical advice and information on key topics identified by the WHO’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) as critical for the treaty’s success.
  • In collaboration with UNAIDS, convened an expert group to consider existing models that assert equity as a priority and analyze them for possible inclusion in the treaty. Attendees included: INB Co-Chair Precious Matsoso and senior WHO observers assisting the INB.
    Report of the convening: Advancing a World Together Equitably
  • In collaboration with the University of Cape Town, organized a global meeting on the development and deployment of emergency countermeasures, including vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. The expert group examined case studies for countermeasure development, pandemic clinical trial capabilities, and access and benefit sharing.
    Report of the convening: Emergency Countermeasure Development and Deployment
• Thought pieces providing insights into pandemic preparedness were published in:
  • Hastings Center Reports
  • Health Affairs Forefront