Health ministers from the Group of Seven advanced nations are expected to complete a draft plan in the near future to reform the World Health Organization in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The main pillars of the reform plan are the obligation for countries to report virus outbreaks and for the WHO to declare public health emergencies earlier. Talks with WHO member states is expected to start in September.
The G7 hopes to gain broad support for its reforms at the WHO's general assembly, which could be held as early as November, according to several Japanese government sources.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato and the other G7 health ministers have been holding regular conference calls since the pandemic began, discussing problems regarding the WHO's initial response, as well as hammering out reforms.
One proposal is to tighten the rules on reporting that member states must follow as soon as something unusual is noticed.
The International Health Regulations, which lay out the WHO's infectious disease response, requires member states to notify the organization within 24 hours of completing an assessment of anything that could pose a threat to global public health.
However, exactly when this assessment is completed is left up to each nation's discretion.
Many people have criticized China's delayed actions and lack of transparency regarding information disclosure after the discovery of the new coronavirus. The G7's reform plan calls for early reporting and for the WHO to be thorough about disclosing information.
The proposal also aims to increase the speed in which the WHO declares a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern," which calls for global vigilance and coordination.
At the WHO expert emergency committee meeting on Jan. 22 and 23, before the global spread of the virus, opinions were divided over whether China would be able to contain the virus on its own. As a result, no declaration was issued at the time.
A declaration was finally made on Jan. 30, however, the delayed timing is thought to have slowed down the responses of other countries.
Having to choose been only the two options of issuing a declaration and not issuing one has been a source of confusion for the G7. The reform plan would create multiple emergency levels to allow for declarations to be made in stages.
The procedure for revising the IHR is expected to take several years, as it involves a complex web of national interests.
Therefore, the G7 plans present its stance regarding the fundamental review by compiling its reform plan. It will start explaining the reforms to member states in September to get their approval in the hope of developing guidelines for operational improvements at the WHO general assembly in November.
However, the United States, which is the chair of the G7 summit meeting this year, has announced it will withdraw from the WHO because of a perceived bias toward China.
The conflict between the United States and China has been deepening, and even within the G7, France and Germany have strongly objected to the United States' plan to leave the organization, which makes it uncertain whether the reform plan will gain broad support.
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