South Centre Statement to the Resumed Thirteenth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to Draft and Negotiate a WHO Convention, Agreement or Other International Instrument of Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response
7 April 2025
Negotiations resume for a WHO pandemic agreement, aiming to finalise the text in 5 days. Will Member States show the needed leadership and will to deliver an impactful outcome with equity at the core?
Strengthening Antimicrobial Stewardship Policy: Insights from COVID-19 and Future Pandemic Preparedness
South Centre Webinar
Date: 14 April 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST | 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM EDT | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM IST
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
In this one-hour webinar, we will explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes and what lessons can strengthen future pandemic preparedness, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Equity and Pandemic Preparedness: Navigating the 2024 Amendments to the International Health Regulations
By Nirmalya Syam
The amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) agreed upon in May 2024 are important for strengthening global health emergency preparedness and response. The negotiations resulted in the IHR amendment now recognizing the importance of equity, including equitable access to health products, enhancing IHR core capacities, and mobilizing financing. The amendments note the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in facilitating timely access to necessary health products by removing barriers and supporting local production and distribution. However, the WHO authority to effectively act in those areas is limited. The IHR as amended will establish a Coordinating Financial Mechanism to provide predictable and sustainable financing for its implementation, particularly in developing countries.
Despite some advancements, the amendments fall short of imposing concrete obligations on developed countries to facilitate timely access to health products and financial support and transfer of technology to developing countries. Overall, the amended IHR represent a significant step toward a more equitable global health framework, setting a precedent for future international health instruments, including the proposed pandemic treaty.
The Vaccine Industry After the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Perspective
By Felix Lobo
The purpose of this report is to analyze the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the vaccine industry from an international perspective. The objective is to learn from the experience and contribute to the design of better tools for future vaccine development and manufacturing, as we must be prepared for future emerging infectious diseases with the potential for global expansion. This industry makes fundamental contributions to global social welfare, but from a business point of view it is complex and difficult to manage, and from an economic point of view it is an industry that does not fit the paradigm of competitive market efficiency with notorious market failures.
We examine the impact of the pandemic on innovation and the scientific, technological and industrial development of vaccines and find that certain elements of the industry’s structure have changed, while others have remained. We also summarize the lessons learned from the deployment of some public policies to boost supply and drive demand, paying particular attention to the inequity in the global distribution of vaccines and to the COVAX program. We conclude that some of the policies have been very effective, while others have not fully achieved their objectives. From the achievements and limitations, lessons can be drawn for the reformulation and expansion of global public policies that would stimulate R&D, manufacturing, distribution and access.
ReAct Africa and South Centre will co-host the 2024 regional AMR annual conference from 9th – 11th July in Livingstone, Zambia, under the theme “Global Accountability for AMR response: Investing in priorities for Africa”.
Constraints to and Prospects for Sustainable Livestock Sector Practices in Argentina with Emphasis on Antimicrobial Usage
By David Oseguera Montiel
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a top threat for global health and development as it has the potential to become the next pandemic. Agriculture roughly accounts for three-quarters of all the antimicrobial usage. Modern animal husbandry systems use antimicrobials for disease prevention and growth promotion. Regulations and restrictions regarding antimicrobial use in agriculture vary across the regions of the world. This paper explores the situation of the Argentina livestock sector with regard to antimicrobial use. Argentina is renowned as a global food producer, notably for its grain and livestock production potential. This paper analyzes the constraints to and prospects for transitioning towards a more sustainable livestock farming production in Argentina by relying less on antimicrobials and without compromising productivity. The livestock sector in Argentina has embarked on the intensification of farming, especially beef farming, in the last thirty years. Farming intensification generally requires the use of greater quantities of antibiotics. Alternative sustainable intensification is necessary to overcome antimicrobial overuse. Various factors, including economic, social, and cultural, shape consumption patterns. The Argentine farming sector needs to focus on these context-specific situations, which will drive animal food production.
Statement on the Amendment to the International Health Regulations
We congratulate the WHO members for the adoption of the amendments to the International Health Regulations to advance equity in access to health products, increase collaboration and finance to develop, strengthen and maintain core capacities. Efforts must continue to finalise a pandemic treaty.
Statements of the South Centre to the 77th WHA
Agenda Items 11.6 & 11.8
May 2024
WHA77 approves resolution on AMR. We welcome the decision to increase action against this silent pandemic.
Statement of the South Centre to the 77th WHA
Agenda Item 3
A critical week for global health with the 77th session of the World Health Assembly. For decision, the future of the pandemic instrument and IHR amendment negotiations.
STATEMENT BY CARLOS CORREA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CENTRE, AT THE VIRTUAL MEETING OF THE MINISTERS OF HEALTH OF THE MEMBER STATES AND OBSERVER STATES OF THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT
25 May 2024
On the sidelines of the 77th session of the World Health Assembly
There is a need for a stronger and more effective WHO, which should be at the centre of norm-setting and moral guidance. NAM can play a key role in shaping the global health agenda. As in the past, the South Centre remains ready to support NAM efforts in this field.
Proposal for a new Article 11bis in the WHO Pandemic Accord: a Pandemic Technology Transfer Mechanism
by Olga Gurgula and Luke McDonagh
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the failure of voluntary mechanisms during global emergencies and exemplifies the need for effective involuntary technology transfer tools. The WHO Pandemic Accord offers an opportunity to provide an effective mechanism to build upon existing TRIPS flexibilities in the specific pandemic context. We propose a new provision (Article 11bis) that outlines a mechanism on cross-border procedure of non-voluntary technology transfer during a pandemic. This procedure could be invoked in a pandemic scenario in which voluntary technology transfer mechanisms have failed to provide sufficient supplies of a needed pandemic product.
South Centre Statement at the 9th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
March 2024
The South Centre underscores the imperative for an international binding pandemic treaty to prevent the recurrence of past failures like those witnessed during the COVID-19 crisis.
