State of the Pandemic, Equity and Protection, Clinical Public Health, World Health Organization, Conflict, Global Governance, Asia, China, Costa Rica, Global, United States
development

Organisations. World Health Organization WHO
Period. 14 – 20 May 2020

“Impartial, independent, and comprehensive evaluation”

For the first time in the WHO’s history, its annual World Health Assembly (WHA) was entirely virtual. With a focus almost entirely on the Coronavirus pandemic, the condensed two-day meeting was preceded by three weeks of intense negotiations.

The most significant outcome this year was the adoption of a COVID-19 resolution that was proposed by the European Union and supported by 120 countries that contained three major elements (A73/CONF/1), including an “impartial, independent, and comprehensive evaluation (of the) international health response to COVID-19.” In the closing remarks, the WHO Director General affirmed that the review would take place “as soon as possible.”

Rising geopolitical tensions shape emergent Global Health institutions and practices

The WHA opened with a failed motion to grant Taiwan Observer status, underscoring growing tensions in part arising from accusations by the U.S. (and shared by other Western and Pacific Asian countries) that China was not transparent in the early days of the pandemic.

In a letter, the U.S. President threatened to permanently eliminate the funding that was temporarily withdrawn from the WHO, suggesting the U.S. would pursue bilateral aid channels including US$500 million to 40 ‘at risk’ countries. The President of China addressed the Assembly directly pledging US$2 billion over the next two years to support COVID-19 response efforts in developing countries, and an ambition to establish China as a “global humanitarian response capital and hub.” Focusing on African countries in particular, President Xi referenced debt suspension initiatives, building “green corridors” to accelerate delivery of essential goods as well as partnering with 30 major hospitals in Africa to build a China Centres for Disease Control headquarters on the continent.

‘No monopolies on access’ to COVID treatments and vaccines in a pandemic

The negotiations on access to treatments and future vaccines were far more divisive. Led by Costa Rica, developing countries and civil society organizations expressed particular concern about ensuring equitable access, including to COVID-related knowledge, lessons learned, experience, and best practices. The WHO Secretariat will have until May 29 to develop a framework for a voluntary COIVD-19 Intellectual Property Pool for patents and clinical trial data, while the EU-led resolution also references WTO TRIPS flexibilities allowing countries to override patents to ensure access.

COVID is a ‘wake-up call to our global fragility’

In his address to the World Health Assembly, the UN Secretary General called for greater unity and solidarity along three dimensions: a coordinated and comprehensive health response guided by the WHO and focusing on developing countries; policies to address the social and economic dimensions of the COVID crisis; and a response and recovery plan based on equity, inclusion and sustainability centred on human rights. Given the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, some civil society organizations such as South Centre expressed disappointment in the lack of ambition of the COVID-19 resolution. Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) likewise referred to the “typical watered down, lawyered ambiguity” of the final draft that fails to limit legal monopolies that could affect access (they noted that other proposals like Canada’s would have called for “universal and non-exclusive and open-licensing” that referenced data sharing and more expansive mandate beyond existing mechanisms).

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