Consultations on a New International Pandemic Agreement
The FNIH and the O’Neill Institute are convening high-level meetings to inform the World Health Organization (WHO) and global community on a treaty or other instrument on pandemic preparedness.
Overview
In May 2021, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to hold a Special Session at the end of November to consider the merits of developing a WHO convention or other agreement on pandemic preparedness. To inform the global community, the FNIH and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University are convening high-level technical meetings involving key stakeholders from government, international organizations, academia, civil society, biomedical science and the private sector focusing on how the current international mechanisms fell short, which legal alternatives (and other collective actions) exist to the current system and what substantive content a new legal instrument or collective actions could address. NIH colleagues have provided scientific expertise and perspectives to inform discussions.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ opening remarks to the FNIH-O’Neill High Level Meeting on September 8, 2021.
Publications*
JAMA Network (September 15, 2021): An International Agreement on Pandemic Prevention and Preparedness by Lawrence O. Gostin, Sam F. Halabi, and Kevin A. Klock
O'Neill Institute Blog (September 14, 2021): Toward a Pandemic Agreement: WHO Collaborating Center Support for a New Mechanism
Postgraduate Medical Journal (September 11, 2021): New International Pandemic Treaty: Potential Implications for Clinicians Worldwide by Sarosh Nagar
JAMA Network (August 31, 2021): Strengthening Global Health Security and Reforming the International Health Regulations by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics (August 17, 2021): Developing an Innovative Pandemic Treaty to Advance Global Health Security by Lawrence O. Gostin, Benjamin Mason Meier, and Barbara Stocking
World Health Organization (May 31, 2021): World Health Assembly Resolution to hold a Special Session to Consider Developing a WHO Convention
World Health Organization (May 31, 2021): WHO Director-General’s Closing Remarks at the World Health Assembly
Kevin A. Klock (2013): The Soft Law Alternative to the WHO's Treaty Powers
Resources
FNIH Contacts
- Kevin A. Klock, Vice President of Operations and General Counsel; Kklock@fnih.org
- Katherine Thompson, Director of Communications; Kthompson@fnih.org
*The views expressed in these materials are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FNIH.