Countries approved a landmark treaty on Tuesday that aims to avoid the mistakes of the COVID-19 pandemic in future global health crises.
The treaty’s formal approval at the annual meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) came after some late-breaking tension on Monday, when Slovakia challenged the treaty’s adoption by calling for an early vote – and then abstained, along with Poland, Italy, and eight other countries.
But the treaty was ultimately approved with majority support and adopted by member states on Tuesday.
WHO member states had agreed last month on most of the treaty’s details, though they will continue negotiations on a few sticking points.
The agreement "will ensure countries work better, faster and more equitably together to prevent and respond to the next pandemic threat," said WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Macron: 'We Need to act as quickly as possible'
The legally binding accord will require countries to take steps to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future pandemics, with the goal of making medical supplies such as vaccines more accessible across the globe.
During future pandemics, "we need to act as quickly as possible, yes, but we also need to spread the innovations we’ve made more quickly," France’s President Emmanuel Macron told the assembly after the vote.
"It’s not a question of if we will have a new pandemic, it’s a question of when we’ll have it," he added.
But there are still a few issues that have yet to be resolved, and the treaty won’t go into force until they have been agreed upon.
One item still on the table is the creation of a new pathogen access and benefit sharing (PABS) system in which countries would share pathogen samples and data with drugmakers in return for access to vaccines and medicines.
Member states aim to complete negotiations within a year.
Once that happens, countries will sign and ratify the treaty at home. It will enter into force when it reaches 60 ratifications.
The United States is not expected to ratify the treaty under the Trump administration, which could undermine its effectiveness.
"Hardly anyone would have thought this possible after the United States withdrew from the WHO," Germany's health minister Nina Warken said ahead of the vote.
She said the WHO should continue its ongoing reforms and focus on its "core tasks: global health surveillance, pandemic prevention, disease control, and equitable access to healthcare".
