Increased domestic financing and efficiency of health expenditure necessary amid COVID-19 in Africa

Increased domestic financing and efficiency of health expenditure necessary amid COVID-19 in Africa

"In a virtual meeting convened by the African Union on 8 and 9 October 2020, health and finance ministers from east and southern Africa discussed how to sustain Africa’s earlier health gains in the face of COVID-19. They agreed on the dual importance of raising domestic resources for health and improving the management of available resources. The stance is summarized as “more money for health and more health for money.” Strong leadership and social protection for the most vulnerable are the two other additional levers to “build back” after the COVID-19 crisis. Peter Sands, the Executive Director of the Global Fund and Donald Kaberuka, the Chairman of the Global Fund Board, as well as representatives of multilateral organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance), and the World Bank addressed the participants and emphasized different aspects of those four levers." (Photo: Pictures of Money/flickr/CC BY 2.0)

«FONDS COVID-19»: Finanzierung von Verhütung und ungedeckten Kosten bei Schwangerschaftsabbruch

«FONDS COVID-19»: Finanzierung von Verhütung und ungedeckten Kosten bei Schwangerschaftsabbruch

Im vorliegenden Bericht belegt SEXUELLE GESUNDHEIT SCHWEIZ, dass in der Schweiz der Zugang zu Verhütungsmitteln nicht gewährleistet ist. Betroffen sind insbesondere armutsbetroffene Familien. Dank einem Fonds der Glückskette konnte SEXUELLE GESUNDHEIT SCHWEIZ vorübergehend Verhütungsmittel für Menschen finanzieren, die sich diese aufgrund der Covid-19-Auswirkungen nicht mehr leisten konnten. Die Resultate zum «Fonds Covid-19» können in dem Bericht nachgelesen werden.

The world needs a better World Health Organisation

The world needs a better World Health Organisation

"THE GLASS and metal headquarters of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN’s health agency, contrast starkly with their bucolic surroundings in the hills around Geneva. The only dabs of colour are the flags of its 194 member-states. For now the American flag still flutters beside the rest. But if President Donald Trump has his way, by July 2021 it will be gone. America is the WHO’s biggest donor. A tenth of its staff are American. Its influence runs through the agency, right down to the peanut-butter cups in the staff vending machine. It is an odd time to cut ties with the world’s foremost public-health body. There is a pandemic going on." (Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash)

The Indirect Health Effects of COVID-19
Photo: World Bank Photo Collection// Henitsoa Rafalia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Indirect Health Effects of COVID-19

"When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic a year ago, many countries imposed stringent measures to limit the virus’s spread. Most of these policy approaches focused narrowly on limiting cases and deaths from COVID-19, without sufficient attention to the broader indirect impacts of the pandemic and various response measures across other health needs. While the evidence of disruptions to essential health services was largely anecdotal to begin with, and its health effects mostly modeled, increasingly detailed evidence is beginning to emerge from countries."

Achieving a gender transformative COVID response

Achieving a gender transformative COVID response

This meeting was organized and co-hosted by GENDRO and Women in Global Health together with the WHO Secretariat. It was announced as follows: “Through a dynamic, solutions-oriented dialogue session, this will be an opportunity to highlight three specific aspects of gender transformation: leadership, including in the response to COVID at local, national, regional and international levels; data, particularly strategies to ensure the collection and use of gender disaggregated data in times of COVID; and health care, with a focus on women on the frontlines. The session seeks to focus on solutions and strategies for progress, including what civil society asks of WHO and also what civil society itself can do.” (Photo: MONUSCO Photos/flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

HIV and COVID-19: a unique moment in time to learn, leverage and build resilient systems for health

HIV and COVID-19: a unique moment in time to learn, leverage and build resilient systems for health

"A new report from UNAIDS shows how countries grappling with COVID-19 are using the experience and infrastructure from the AIDS response to ensure a more robust response to both pandemics. COVID-19 and HIV: 1 moment, 2 epidemics, 3 opportunities—how to seize the moment to learn, leverage and build a new way forward for everyone’s health and rights shows that by identifying the dynamic changes needed, systems can be found that are effective, inclusive, equitable and sufficiently resourced. “Given the epic dimensions of the emergency, the world needs unity and solidarity,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “Our decades-long fight against HIV offers essential lessons. By heeding those lessons and working together, we can ensure that national health responses deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the health and well-being of all.” (Photo by SJ Objio on Unsplash)

COVID-19’s ‘Slow Burn’ – Africa’s Low Death Rate Puzzles Researchers

COVID-19’s ‘Slow Burn’ – Africa’s Low Death Rate Puzzles Researchers

"Dire predictions of Africa being overwhelmed by a tsunami of COVID-19 infections and deaths have not materialized – yet – and this is confounding many researchers. So whether the reason is the continent’s youthful population, a certain level of “herd immunity” gained from prior exposure to other coronaviruses, or simply a lack of adequate disease surveillance, experts are trying to understand the reasons why." (Photo by Morning Brew on Unsplash)

PAHO Strategic Fund minimizes disruption of critical medications and supplies during COVID-19

PAHO Strategic Fund minimizes disruption of critical medications and supplies during COVID-19

"The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly disrupted freight movement, particularly by air, of essential health supplies, while nationally lockdowns disrupted pharmaceutical production. These and other unexpected supply chain disruptions all significantly complicated the delivery of vital health products just when health services needed them the most. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) through the‘ Strategic Fund for Essential Medicines and Public Health Supplies’ responded quickly to minimize the impact by working with three key stake holdergroups regional and national health authorities, technical experts, and suppliers." (Photo: OEA - OAS/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

COVID-19 in Kenya: 150 days of learning

COVID-19 in Kenya: 150 days of learning

"How does one fight an invisible, insidious, and all but intractable foe worth 30 kb in size? In Kenya, the hundred and fiftieth day of COVID-19 passed on 9th August 2020, nine months after the virus manifested itself in the Chinese province of Wuhan. The pandemic has brought forth some key learnings in the process. Even though modern science has risen at breath-taking speed, the most effective tools are still the public health measures, from the 19th century – quarantine and social distancing. The crisis has given us an opportunity to witness the speed and volume of innovation from local innovators and universities to give doctors a broader range of weapons." (Photo: AMISOM Public Information/flickr, CC0 1.0)

Shocking stats on gender-based violence during lockdown revealed

Shocking stats on gender-based violence during lockdown revealed

"The effect of lockdown on gender-based violence (GBV) has been laid bare by a researcher who collected data from every support call centre. The government GBV and femicide command centre alone recorded more than 120,000 victims in the first three weeks of lockdown, said Rose Gawaya, a gender adviser at the Social Policy Network." (Photo by Mélodie Descoubes on Unsplash)

Democracy and Health
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

Democracy and Health

"The coronavirus pandemic is not an advertisement for the healthy effects of democracy. As of October 2020, 9 of the 10 nations with the highest cumulative cases of covid-19 are democracies. The mixed performance of democracies represents a departure from their success in confronting other health challenges, relative to other forms of governments. Democracy remains the preferred form of government on all continents, but this vision of democracy works in a crisis only if it is promoted in normal times. This collection takes a closer look at the progress of different political systems achieving universal health coverage, explanations for the links between democracy and health, and what measures must be undertaken to better “pandemic proof” this political system."

How is aid changing in the Covid-19 pandemic?
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How is aid changing in the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Covid-19 pandemic presents the biggest global challenge we have faced since World War 2. The poorest people and places have been hit hardest by the economic and social effects of the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and are also the least resilient to its effects. Measures put in place by governments to suppress the virus have also had the greatest impact on those living in poverty. This is leading to rising needs, while resources are falling. Poverty is set to increase – with our projections suggesting extreme poverty will grow by 3% in 2020 alone. At the same time, domestic revenues in developing countries are projected to drop by US$1 trillion in 2020 from pre-Covid levels, and recovery is likely to take time. Many of these countries are heavily reliant on other critical forms of international finance – such as foreign direct investment, tourism receipts and remittances – which have also fallen steeply this year.

The Right On! Podcast
Photo: © MD

The Right On! Podcast

"Do we need to give up some human rights to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control? Could human rights offer us a way out of this global crisis? Every two weeks, a roundtable of inspiring activists from the global north and south will explore these questions for forty minutes — introducing the global human rights movement, one amazing activist at a time. Moderated by Meg Davis in Geneva, Switzerland."

With global push for COVID-19 vaccines, China aims to win friends and cut deals
Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash

With global push for COVID-19 vaccines, China aims to win friends and cut deals

"The first people in the world to receive a COVID-19 vaccine were not part of a clinical trial. No TV stations or newspapers covered the historic event. No company issued a statement. On 29 February, less than 2 months after the world awakened to the threat of the new disease, virologist Chen Wei, a major general in China’s army, and six military scientists on her team stood in front of a Chinese Communist Party flag and received injections of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine. Chen, a national hero for her work on Ebola vaccines, had come to the initial center of the pandemic, Wuhan, with her group from the Academy of Medical Military Sciences, in part to help make the candidate vaccine with a commercial company, CanSino Biologics. Commentators inside and outside of China later questioned whether the event, which received wide play on social media, was real."

Migrants Struggle To Access Healthcare
Photo: © KC Wong/flickr, CC BY 2.0

Migrants Struggle To Access Healthcare

"Despite the “enormous” contributions that migrants have made to society, they still face discrimination, social exclusion, and struggle to access health services even years after migrating, especially during the current pandemic, the first survey ever of migrant health during COVID-19 has found.

«Covid-19: quel impact sur la coopération au développement»: notre dossier thématique vient de paraître
Photo: © FGC

«Covid-19: quel impact sur la coopération au développement»: notre dossier thématique vient de paraître

Sous le titre «Covid-19: quel impact sur la coopération au développement», le 6e numéro du dossier thématique de la FGC Réflexions et Débats vient de paraître. Après une année 2020 qui a vu la pandémie de Covid-19 secouer la planète, faire remonter le taux d'extrême pauvreté et jeter une lumière crue sur les inégalités, ce numéro de la série Réflexions et Débats prend le pouls de la situation autant au niveau global que s'agissant des projets de développement soutenus par la FGC. Il dresse un premier bilan de l'impact de la crise sur la coopération au développement.

Mädchenheirat: 500'000 Mädchen wegen Covid-19 zusätzlich in Gefahr
Child marriage is a fundamental human rights violation and impacts all aspects of a girl’s life.... Photo: UNAMID/Albert Gonzalez Farran/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Mädchenheirat: 500'000 Mädchen wegen Covid-19 zusätzlich in Gefahr

Covid-19 schlägt sich dramatisch in der Anzahl neuer Kinderehen nieder. Warum das so ist und was Save the Children dagegen tut, erklärt unser Kommunikationsverantwortlicher Fabian Emmenegger im Interview.

Impact study of COVID-19 on older people and caregivers in Georgia
Older people living in deserted high mountain village Delchevo /Gotse Delchev municipality - region Blagoevgrad/ had just received basic foodstuffs from volunteers belong to IG in Gotse Delchev. Photo: Alfred Mikus, Belarus/ © SRC

Impact study of COVID-19 on older people and caregivers in Georgia

"Georgia is one of many countries having an increasingly ageing population demographically. Older population group face many challenges, a situation further exacerbated by the onset of COVID-19 which not only poses an increased direct risk for older people, but also sees them face serious secondary health, social and economic impacts. (...) This study looks at the impacts of COVID-19 on older people and professional caregivers and trained Red Cross (RC) volunteers in the context of general care provision in Georgia and provides recommendations for improving both the COVID-19 response and the situation for older people and caregivers."

COVID-19 yet not over, we must continue taking precautions:
Photo: MMS

COVID-19 yet not over, we must continue taking precautions:

"The countdown has begun for the world's largest immunisation drive as India gears up to vaccinate 3 crore frontline workers starting January 16. (...) So where are we in the COVID-19 curve? Is there an end in sight? In an exclusive interview to Archana Shukla, Dr Peter Piot, professor of global health at London School of Hygiene said, "We can look at 2021 with bit more optimism than the very difficult year that we just have behind us and that is thanks to science, to development of vaccine at unprecedented speed. It normally takes 5-10 years to bring a new vaccine to the market from the lab and to go through all the trials and approvals. Here we have it in about one year or less and that too without taking any shortcuts."

COVID-19: Second report on progress
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COVID-19: Second report on progress

"The COVID-19 pandemic has been much more than an outbreak of a new infectious disease. The direct health impact seen in the number of people infected and deaths caused has been magnified by substantial indirect impacts on essential health and other services and on people’s livelihoods and well-being. Across the planet, people have died, families have been left bereft, and societies and economies reshaped.Stark inequalities have been laid bare within and between countries. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals has been halted and even reversed. The worst of the pandemic and its impact are yet to come as we write at the beginning of January 2021.

Vaccine nationalism puts world on brink of 'catastrophic moral failure': WHO chief
Photo: UN Geneva/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Vaccine nationalism puts world on brink of 'catastrophic moral failure': WHO chief

"The world is on the brink of “catastrophic moral failure” in sharing COVID-19 vaccines, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday, urging countries and manufacturers to spread doses more fairly around the world. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the prospects for equitable distribution were at “serious risk” just as its COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme aimed to start distributing inoculations next month. He noted 44 bilateral deals were signed last year and at least 12 have already been signed this year."

Impfungen und Medikamente gegen Covid-19: Patentschutz muss gelockert werden
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Impfungen und Medikamente gegen Covid-19: Patentschutz muss gelockert werden

Die derzeit geltenden WTO-Regeln zum Schutz des geistigen Eigentums behindern die Verbreitung von Covid-19-Impfstoffen und damit weltweit den Zugang von Millionen von Menschen zu den Impfungen. In einem offenen Brief fordern Amnesty International und Public Eye zusammen mit fast 20 zivilgesellschaftlichen Organisationen den Bundesrat auf, die von über 100 Ländern vorgeschlagene Suspendierung des Urheberrechtsschutzes zu unterstützen. Damit könnten Covid-19-Impfstoffe, Tests und Medikamente dezentral, schneller und in grösserer Menge produziert werden.

A global vaccine apartheid is unfolding. People’s lives must come before profit
Photo by Thomas de LUZE on Unsplash

A global vaccine apartheid is unfolding. People’s lives must come before profit

"Nine months ago world leaders were queueing up to declare any Covid-19 vaccine a global public good. Today we are witness to a vaccine apartheid that is only serving the interests of powerful and profitable pharmaceutical corporations while costing us the quickest and least harmful route out of this crisis." By Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS

Until Africans get the Covid vaccinations they need, the whole world will suffer
Nursing staff wait outside the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria. Many of the province’s hospitals are full. Photo: International Monetary Fund/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Photo ref: Oatway_Covid_IMF_04.jpg

Until Africans get the Covid vaccinations they need, the whole world will suffer

"The current situation with regard to the access and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines vividly illustrates the decades-old contradictions of the world order. Rich and powerful nations have rushed to lock up supply of multiple vaccine candidates. Worse, some are hoarding vaccines – purchasing many times more doses than they need. This leaves African and other developing countries either far behind in the vaccine queue, or not in it at all."

Improving Access to COVID-19 Screening and Testing in African Countries
Researchers conduct community outreach in remote areas in Lesotho in order to increase access to essential health services. Photo credit: SolidarMed and Swiss TPH

Improving Access to COVID-19 Screening and Testing in African Countries

A new joint initiative from the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health and the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership will support three COVID-19-related projects in low- and middle-income countries, including a project led by Swiss TPH and Zambart that improves access to COVID-19 screening and testing in Lesotho and Zambia.

Urgent needs of low-income and middle-income countries for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics
First delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations arrives in B.C. Photo: Province of British Columbia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Urgent needs of low-income and middle-income countries for COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics

"WHO and partners have learnt from the mis-steps in the response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and established the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to promote equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. However, many high-income countries already have bilateral agreements with manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines. The COVAX Facility of the ACT Accelerator has agreements to access 2 billion doses of WHO pre-qualified vaccines during 2021, but this represents only 20% of the vaccine needs of participating countries. Most low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) face difficulties in accessing and delivering vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19 to their populations. COVAX will require decisive action by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), supported by the countries they serve and with financing for vaccine purchasing, to ensure people worldwide have equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines."

Global Health Diplomacy in the COVID-19 Era
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Global Health Diplomacy in the COVID-19 Era

"More than a year into the world’s largest global health emergency, health diplomats have fought hard to ensure that every country across the globe secures access to lifesaving coronavirus health products, including vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. That has not happened yet, given that 80% of countries that are now rolling out vaccines are either high-income or upper middle-income countries. (...) A panel of some two dozen leading diplomats and health policy experts from WHO, government, academia and media pondered the current state of affairs, at the Global Health Centre’s (GHC) launch of a new Guide to Global Health Diplomacy, authored by GHC founder Ilona Kickbusch along with a former Hungerian Health Minister, Haik Nikogosian, former head of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Mihály Kökény; and a preface from WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus."

Studie aus Sambia zeigt unerwartet hohe Zahl an Sars-CoV-2-positiven Toten
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Studie aus Sambia zeigt unerwartet hohe Zahl an Sars-CoV-2-positiven Toten

"Afrika ist nach wie vor ein grosses Corona-Rätsel: Das Virus scheint auf seinem Weg von Asien nach Europa und Amerika den Kontinent sozusagen fast überflogen zu haben. Nur in Südafrika wurde bisher ein intensives Infektionsgeschehen mit über 20 000 Toten, mehr als 750 000 Infizierten und nun sogar einer neuen Virusvariante festgestellt, gegen die die bisher zugelassenen Impfstoffe nur noch eingeschränkt wirksam sind. Laut einem Forscherteam aus Sambia und Boston um Lawrence Mwanayanda könnte des Rätsels Lösung so einfach wie beunruhigend sein: Die Sars-CoV-2-Ausbreitung werde in weiten Teilen Afrikas übersehen, weil nur wenig und lückenhaft getestet werde."

Barbara Kruspan, SolidarMed Landeskoordinatorin Mosambik, kennt selber auch Menschen, die fliehen mussten, einige kann sie bis heute nicht erreichen. Dies macht sie persönlich sehr betroffen. Foto: Christian Heuss

"Es trifft einmal mehr die Ärmsten"

Barbara Kruspan lebt seit bald 30 Jahren in der Provinz Cabo Delgado und ist seit knapp vier Jahren für SolidarMed tätig. Mosambik ist ihre Heimat geworden. Früher hat sie in Mocímboa da Praia gelebt – dort wo jetzt islamistisch-motivierte Terroristen ihr Unwesen treiben. Sie kennt die Situation sehr gut. (...) Was beschäftigt Dich in der jetzigen Situation besonders stark? Mitansehen zu müssen, dass es einmal mehr die Ärmsten trifft. Es sind diejenigen, die am meisten unter der Flucht leiden, die keine Mittel haben, um eine neue Existenz aufzubauen oder weit weg zu fliehen. Sie wurden durch so viele Krisen immer wieder geplagt; Bürgerkrieg, Trockenheit, Überschwemmungen, ganz schlimm im 2019, der Zyklon Kenneth. Und dann kommt zusätzlich auch noch diese Krise.

5 Pandemic Mistakes We Keep Repeating
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5 Pandemic Mistakes We Keep Repeating

"When the polio vaccine was declared safe and effective, the news was met with jubilant celebration. Church bells rang across the nation, and factories blew their whistles. “Polio routed!” newspaper headlines exclaimed. “An historic victory,” “monumental,” “sensational,” newscasters declared. People erupted with joy across the United States. Some danced in the streets; others wept. Kids were sent home from school to celebrate. One might have expected the initial approval of the coronavirus vaccines to spark similar jubilation—especially after a brutal pandemic year. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the steady drumbeat of good news about the vaccines has been met with a chorus of relentless pessimism."

Ein Nachdenken über die Pandemie jenseits der Statistik
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Ein Nachdenken über die Pandemie jenseits der Statistik

Die Diskussion um COVID-19 wird vor allem von Zahlen bestimmt. Ein ständiger Strom von Zahlen, Statistiken und Risiken. Wissenschaftler werden in die Medien katapultiert, um zu erklären, zu erläutern und zu erklären. Aber ein Notfall wie COVID-19 erfordert mehr - Momente, in denen man darüber nachdenkt, was diese Pandemie für uns bedeutet, in denen man Fragen über ihre tieferen Auswirkungen auf unser Leben stellt und über ihre Konsequenzen für unsere Zukunft nachdenkt. Philosophen, nicht Wissenschaftler, könnten uns mehr helfen, wenn wir eine fundierte Betrachtung anstreben. Sie stellen entscheidende Fragen, die im Zentrum der öffentlichen Diskussion stehen sollten.

COVID-19: Haben wir wirklich etwas aus früheren Lektionen gelernt? Globale Dimensionen mit dem Schwerpunkt Afrika
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COVID-19: Haben wir wirklich etwas aus früheren Lektionen gelernt? Globale Dimensionen mit dem Schwerpunkt Afrika

Die SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie führte weltweit zu schwerwiegenden Kollateralschäden in vielen Gesundheits- und Sozialsystemen; insbesondere Afrikas. Gleichzeitig offenbart die Krise auch grosses Innovationspotenzial bei der Forschung und Entwicklung neuer Medikamente und Impfstoffe. Eine Analyse von Marcel Tanner, Präsident der Akademien der Wissenschaften Schweiz und ehemaliger Direktor des SwissTPH.

Patently unfair: Can waivers help solve COVID vaccine inequality?
Photo: World Bank Photo Collection/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Patently unfair: Can waivers help solve COVID vaccine inequality?

"The World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council gathered virtually on Monday for the first of two days of talks amid increasing calls from civil society, states and nongovernmental actors to temporarily waive patents for COVID-19 vaccines and other coronavirus-related medical products. Endorsing a waiver on Friday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “If not now, when?”

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at Financing COVID-19 Vaccines for Africa
Photo: Paul Kagame/flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at Financing COVID-19 Vaccines for Africa

Speech by Dr Tedros: "(...) We are committed to fostering a closer working relationship between COVAX and AVATT to leverage their combined strength to ensure the rapid scale-up and distribution of all the vaccines we need to stop the pandemic across the continent. We also thank South Africa and India for their proposal to the World Trade Organization to waive patents on medical products for COVID-19 until the end of the pandemic. We encourage other African countries to support this initiative."

Is COVAX part of the problem or the solution?
Photo: GovernmentZA/flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Is COVAX part of the problem or the solution?

"As a plane carrying 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines landed at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, in late February, world leaders celebrated the milestone — it was the first country to get a delivery through COVAX, a global vaccine distribution facility established in mid-2020. Seth Berkley, CEO at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, called it “a historic moment” and said COVAX had to overcome “many hurdles” to reach it. But those hurdles are still standing: Countries that receive COVAX doses are often saddled with administrative costs, and questions remain about the mission and efficacy of the enterprise itself."

Drug companies defend vaccine monopolies in face of global outcry
Photo: Vaccination station Los Angeles/ Russ Allison Loar/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Drug companies defend vaccine monopolies in face of global outcry

"Abdul Muktadir, the chief executive of Bangladeshi pharmaceutical maker Incepta, has emailed executives of Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax offering his company’s help. He said he has enough capacity to fill vials for 600 million to 800 million doses of coronavirus vaccine a year to distribute throughout Asia. He never heard back from any of them."

Investiert „ACT-A“ in die falsche Strategie?
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Investiert „ACT-A“ in die falsche Strategie?

COVID-19 bringt die Fragilität des globalen Gesundheitssektors zutage: Der Zusammenbruch der Grundversorgung, die verzögerte Behandlung anderer Krankheiten als COVID-19 und die Unfähigkeit der Gesundheitssysteme vieler Länder, eine wirksame Antwort auf die Pandemie zu geben, sind Ausdruck dieser Fragilität. Andererseits bietet COVID-19 und mit ihr die ACT-A Initiative (Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator) eine enorme Chance zur Stärkung der Gesundheitssysteme. Die ACT-A sollte sich jedoch nicht nur auf die Bereitstellung von Schutzausrüstung und medizinischem Sauerstoff konzentrieren, wie im Bericht von A. Usher betont, sondern auf essentiellere Faktoren, wie beispielsweise die Bereitstellung von genügend Gesundheitspersonal.

Global rollout of vaccines is no longer a guarantee of victory over Covid-19
Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

Global rollout of vaccines is no longer a guarantee of victory over Covid-19

"At the end of 2020, there was a strong hope that high levels of vaccination would see humanity finally gain the upper hand over Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. In an ideal scenario, the virus would then be contained at very low levels without further societal disruption or significant numbers of deaths. But since then, new “variants of concern” have emerged and spread worldwide, putting current pandemic control efforts, including vaccination, at risk of being derailed."

It’s time to consider a patent reprieve for COVID vaccines
Photo by JC Gellidon on Unsplash

It’s time to consider a patent reprieve for COVID vaccines

"The world needs around 11 billion doses of coronavirus vaccine to immunize 70% of the world’s population, assuming two doses per person. As of last month, orders had been confirmed for 8.6 billion doses, a remarkable achievement. But some 6 billion of these will go to high- and upper-middle-income countries. Poorer nations — which account for 80% of the world’s population — so far have access to less than one-third of the available vaccines."

«Impfnationalismus» Corona-Impfung: Braucht es mehr Solidarität mit armen Ländern?
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«Impfnationalismus» Corona-Impfung: Braucht es mehr Solidarität mit armen Ländern?

"Die reichen, westlichen Industrieländer, darunter auch die Schweiz, haben sich drei Viertel des weltweiten Impfstoffvorrats gesichert, obwohl sie nur rund 15 Prozent der Weltbevölkerung ausmachen. Während sich Industrieländer ein Vorkaufsrecht für Millionen Dosen gesichert haben, müssen die meisten Länder Afrikas wohl noch lange auf Impfstoffe warten und weiter an den Folgen der Pandemie leiden. Deshalb fordern immer mehr kirchliche und humanitäre Organisationen eine gerechtere Verteilung und prangern den grassierenden «Impfnationalismus» an."

COVID-19: Que fait la Genève Internationale?
Photo: © Fondation pour Genève

COVID-19: Que fait la Genève Internationale?

À l'occasion de la publication du bulletin "COVID-19 : que fait la Genève internationale ?", la Fondation pour Genève organise, en partenariat avec Léman Bleu, une émission spéciale avec des experts de la santé globale. Avec la participation de : • Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Directeur du Département Partenariats sanitaires et multilatéraux à l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS) • Bettina Borisch, Professeure à l'Institut de santé globale (UNIGE), Directrice exécutive de la Fédération internationale des associations de santé publique (WFPHA) • Thomas Cueni, Directeur général de la Fédération internationale de l'industrie du médicament (IFPMA) • Annick Chevillot, journaliste, auteure du bulletin L'émission sera animée par Philippe Verdier.

ONE YEAR OF COVID-19. What is the impact on Geneva-based NGOs?
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ONE YEAR OF COVID-19. What is the impact on Geneva-based NGOs?

"COVID-19 and measures taken in response to the pandemic continue to have an impact on all aspects of life locally, nationally and globally – International Geneva is no exception. Non-Governmental Organisations represent a key constituent of the International Geneva ecosystem, which is dependent on all its components functioning and interacting. One year on, what has been the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Geneva-based NGOs?"

A pandemic treaty: where are we now that the leaders have spoken?
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A pandemic treaty: where are we now that the leaders have spoken?

"Devastated by covid-19, the world is braced for future pandemics. If we are to avoid this fate, then bolder global solutions will be required. On 30 March 2021, twenty eight world leaders called for an international pandemic treaty to be adopted. [1] They underline the necessity to approach our future pandemic response or pandemic preparedness with an all of government and all of society response. World leaders’ willingness to act provides a historic window of opportunity for global health diplomacy to create a new rulebook for collective action. Speed is of the essence."

Global Health Is In Disarray – But Is A Pandemic Treaty The Way Out ?
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Global Health Is In Disarray – But Is A Pandemic Treaty The Way Out ?

"Despite rising calls for a pandemic treaty, including from 25 world leaders in an open letter last month, some global health experts doubt that a treaty would be the most efficient way to quickly strengthen the world’s capacity to beat COVID – and prevent future pandemics. “I don’t think we have time to negotiate another treaty on vaccines. I mean, we really are in this emergency,” said Kelley Lee, Chair in Global Health at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada."

Wissenschaftler*innen fordern: Grossbritannien soll Impfstoff teilen
Photo: Trinity Care Foundation/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Wissenschaftler*innen fordern: Grossbritannien soll Impfstoff teilen

Angesichts dramatisch steigender COVID-19 Infektions- und Todeszahlen in Indien und Brasilien haben führende Wissenschaftler das Vereinigte Königreich aufgefordert, jede 10. Impfdosis zugunsten der COVAX-Initiative abzugeben. Grossbritannien (GB), das einen grossen Teil der weltweiten Impfstoffversorgung aufgekauft hat, muss dringend damit beginnen, seine Dosen zu teilen, die Situation ist inakzeptabel. Während die COVAX-Initiative aufgrund der Impfengpässe bislang nur ein Fünftel der versprochenen Impfdosen in ärmere Länder liefern konnte und dort nur jeder 500. geimpft ist, hat in den Industrienationen bereits jede/r 4. eine Impfung erhalten. In Indien müssen jetzt so vielen Menschen wie möglich geimpft werden – das ist wichtig für Indien und für uns alle, so die Wissenschaftler*innen.

COVAX counts on dose-sharing to counter vaccine crunch, vaccine diplomacy makes it worse
Photo: Présidence de la République du Bénin/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

COVAX counts on dose-sharing to counter vaccine crunch, vaccine diplomacy makes it worse

"One increasingly gets the impression that the messaging from Geneva is not only literally far removed from realities elsewhere but figuratively as well. Take the one-year celebration of the ACT Accelerator, last week, which saw half a dozen leaders from around the world talk about the successes of the initiative. In that duration of 90 minutes, countries like India and Brazil witnessed scores of deaths from COVID-19. That WHO must use its time, resources, and name, to host such an event to promote its donors, at a time when every minute is precious is baffling. The time for symbolism is long gone. Quite literally a waste of breath, in our opinion."

India Is What Happens When Rich People Do Nothing
Photo: Trinity Care Foundation/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

India Is What Happens When Rich People Do Nothing

"This month, Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, India’s capital and home to millions, tweeted that the city was facing an “acute shortage” of medical oxygen. The message was illuminating on a number of levels: First, his resorting to social media, rather than working through official channels, points to a lack of confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government (though this is also at least partly because Kejriwal does not belong to Modi’s party); second, Kejriwal’s tweet emphasizes how Twitter has become a principal means by which Indians appeal for help. Individual tales of people finding oxygen or a hospital bed via Twitter cannot hide the reality: There will soon be no beds left. Medicines are running out."

Pharmaceutical Industry Dispatches Army of Lobbyists to Block Generic Covid-19 Vaccines
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Pharmaceutical Industry Dispatches Army of Lobbyists to Block Generic Covid-19 Vaccines

"The pharmaceutical industry is pouring resources into the growing political fight over generic coronavirus vaccines. Newly filed disclosure forms from the first quarter of 2021 show that over 100 lobbyists have been mobilized to contact lawmakers and members of the Biden administration, urging them to oppose a proposed temporary waiver on intellectual property rights by the World Trade Organization that would allow generic vaccines to be produced globally."

BREAKING – US Swings Weight Behind Global IP Waiver On COVID Vaccines; WTO Inches Towards ‘Text-Based’ Negotiations
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BREAKING – US Swings Weight Behind Global IP Waiver On COVID Vaccines; WTO Inches Towards ‘Text-Based’ Negotiations

"The United States has swung its weight behind a hotly-debated proposal by India and South Africa to suspend intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines for the duration of the pandemic. The dramatic turnabout in the US position, announced Wednesday evening by US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, signals a sea change in the balance of powers around the debate over the IP waiver – which until now had been supported primarily by low- and middle-income countries."

WHO Appeals For Vaccine Donations To Cover Huge COVAX Shortfall
Photo: Présidence de la République du Bénin/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

WHO Appeals For Vaccine Donations To Cover Huge COVAX Shortfall

"COVAX has a shortfall of 190 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and the few manufacturers that have reached agreements with the facility will only deliver later in the year or even in 2022, World Health Organization (WHO) Director Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday. “Pfizer has committed to providing 40 million doses of vaccines to COVAX this year, but the majority of these would be [delivered] in the second half of 2021. We need those right now and call on them to bring forward deliveries, as soon as possible,” Tedros told the body’s biweekly pandemic briefing."

Pandemic Treaty & Other New COVID Initiatives Grab Center Stage At World Health Assembly
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Pandemic Treaty & Other New COVID Initiatives Grab Center Stage At World Health Assembly

"The annual World Health Assembly will open online on Monday, with ministers of health from the World Health Organization’s 194 member states tasked with wading through a heavy agenda dominated by how to fix the COVID-ridden global health system and step up global response to future crises. “It is time to elevate the threat of pandemics at the level of other existential threats such as nuclear accidents,” Dr Joanne Liu, former International president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and a member of the Independent Panel for Pandemic and Preparedness Response (IPPR), said in an interview with Geneva Solutions."

Preparing for the next pandemic
Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Preparing for the next pandemic

“Make it the last pandemic,” urges the report of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, convened by the World Health Organization to assess the handling of covid-19.1 The report highlights how several governments and international organisations did too little to mitigate covid-19. It proposes a plan to end this pandemic—what it calls “the 21st century’s Chernobyl moment”—and prevent another one."

Vaccine hesitancy slows Africa's COVID-19 inoculation drive
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Vaccine hesitancy slows Africa's COVID-19 inoculation drive

"When Edith Serem received her COVID-19 vaccination last month at a hospital in Nairobi where she works as a doctor, nurses jokingly warned she might start speaking in a foreign language. Serem said some colleagues got the AstraZeneca (AZN.L) shot after watching her closely for several days to see if she was okay, but others refused, still wary of possible side effects."

Let us join forces for providing sound civil society input in the

Let us join forces for providing sound civil society input in the "pandemic treaty" process

"On Monday, 400 people died of Covid-19 during the DG’s opening remarks. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the World Health Assembly discussed how to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response. What we have seen so far as concrete proposals for the way ahead is sobering. The report of the Independent Panel does not sufficiently address politically sensitive issues. As an example, it does not expose the grave human rights abuses in the Covid-19 response, and overall it still promotes vaccine charity instead of vaccine equity."

We Can’t Trust Big Pharma to Make Enough Vaccines
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We Can’t Trust Big Pharma to Make Enough Vaccines

"lmost everyone agrees the world needs more Covid-19 vaccines. As we write, some countries have yet to administer even a single dose of vaccine, and current projections suggest many countries will have to wait until 2023 to start widespread vaccination. Yet debate rages as to why the world is short on vaccines, and what barriers need to be overcome in order to make and distribute more. Intellectual property has become a flashpoint in the discussion."

G20 Leaders Promise to Share More Vaccines While EU Digs in Against TRIPS Waiver
Photo: OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/ G20 Osaka/flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0

G20 Leaders Promise to Share More Vaccines While EU Digs in Against TRIPS Waiver

"The G20 Global Health Summit on Friday elicited more promises from wealthy nations to share COVID-19 vaccines, an undertaking by drug companies to make over a billion doses available by year-end – and an indication by the European Union that it would propose an alternative to the TRIPS waiver at the next World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting. Hosted by Italy and the European Commission (EC), the summit ended with the adoption of the Rome Declaration, a 16-point commitment to improving pandemic preparedness, increasing local manufacturing capacity and investing in worldwide health systems."

G7 Should Donate 100 Million More Vaccines by July – WHO; COVID-19 Cases Decline Globally but Rise in Latin America
Photo: UN Geneva/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

G7 Should Donate 100 Million More Vaccines by July – WHO; COVID-19 Cases Decline Globally but Rise in Latin America

"WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus called on leaders of the G7 Group of the world’s most industrialized nations to share at least 100 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses with low- and middle-income countries in June and July and 250 million doses by September. His appeal, at a WHO press conference Monday, added to the growing chorus of voices being directed at G7 leaders to step up donations of vaccines and funding – when they meet this coming weekend in Cornwall, England for the first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic began."

Pandemic Treaty: US Proposes Amending Existing International Health Rules First; Germany Presses for Sanctions
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Pandemic Treaty: US Proposes Amending Existing International Health Rules First; Germany Presses for Sanctions

"While a “pandemic treaty” could take years to establish, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) could be revised more rapidly to significantly improve global disease outbreak response, top US officials are saying. The statements coincided with a 3-day working group meeting of WHO member states to discuss ways to strengthen the global muscle behind pandemic preparedness and response."

Brauchen wir wirklich einen Pandemievertrag?
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Brauchen wir wirklich einen Pandemievertrag?

In dem Beitrag werfen die Autoren einige Schlüsselfragen auf, die von den WHO-Mitgliedstaaten berücksichtigt werden sollten, wenn die Diskussionen über einen Pandemievertrag in einigen Wochen wieder aufgenommen werden. So gibt es beispielsweise keine klare Unterscheidung zwischen einer Pandemie und einem Gesundheitsnotfall - letzterer in den Internationalen Gesundheitsvorschriften (IHR) von 2005 definiert. Wann wird ein Gesundheitsnotfall zu einer Pandemie? Warum können bereits bestehende Regelungen wie die IHR nicht gestärkt werden, da sie keine zusätzlichen institutionellen Mechanismen und Ressourcen erfordern? Die Autoren sind überzeugt, dass eine Stärkung der IHR die Ziele eines Pandemievertrages besser erreichen könnten als ein neuer Vertrag. Sie plädieren jedoch für eine dringende Reform der IHR in vier zentralen Bereichen, insbesondere, um den Bedürfnissen von Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen besser gerecht zu werden.

Forschungskooperation zur Entwicklung eines neuartigen Covid-Impfstoffes
Sicherheit zuerst – Forschung an einem neuen Impfstoff gegen Covid-19. Photo: © Prof. Thomas Klimkait, Universität Basel

Forschungskooperation zur Entwicklung eines neuartigen Covid-Impfstoffes

Das Unispital Basel, die Universität Basel und das Schweizerische Tropen- und Public Health-Institut haben eine Kooperation mit dem Unternehmen RocketVax vereinbart und treiben gemeinsam Forschungsarbeiten zur Entwicklung eines neuartigen Impfstoffs gegen das Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 voran.

The long road ahead for COVID-19 vaccination in Africa
Réception de la première partie du vaccin covax contre la covid-19. Photo: Présidence de la République du Bénin/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The long road ahead for COVID-19 vaccination in Africa

"It was more than 2 months after the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the UK that the first doses from the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access facility (COVAX) landed on the African continent—600 000 doses shipped to Ghana at the end of February, 2021. By that time, about 191 million doses had been administered globally, but just ten countries accounted for three-quarters of vaccinations given. Despite the slow start, there was an air of optimism as countries started receiving doses. But it was short lived. COVAX was overly dependent on one supplier—the Serum Institute of India—for its doses."

Sustainable development report shows devastating impact of COVID, ahead of ‘critical’ new phase
Photo: United Nations Photo/UN Photo/Cia Pak/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Sustainable development report shows devastating impact of COVID, ahead of ‘critical’ new phase

"The world was not on track to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) before COVID-19 struck, and now the challenge has been magnified many times over, according to a new flagship UN report that indicates countries must take ‘critical’ steps on the road out of the pandemic, during the next 18 months. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021, launched on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York, shows the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the 2030 Agenda, as the landmark annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) officially got underway."

Epidemiologe Marcel Tanner: «Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger müssen wieder in der Pflicht sein. Sonst bleiben wir immer im Krisenmodus»
Global Panorama: Ebola Photo: Image Courtesy: European Commission DG ECHO (www.flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/14651372257), Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic | Flickr; CC BY-SA 2.0

Epidemiologe Marcel Tanner: «Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger müssen wieder in der Pflicht sein. Sonst bleiben wir immer im Krisenmodus»

"In der Corona-Krise hätten zu oft «die Bodenhaftung und das Gefühl für den Kontext» gefehlt. Dies sagt das frühere Task-Force-Mitglied Marcel Tanner. Seine Erfahrungen bei der Seuchenbekämpfung in Afrika und Asien zeigten, dass der Faktor Mensch entscheidend sei."

Calcutta Rescue teilt die beunruhigenden Ergebnisse seiner COVID-Umfrage mit
Foto: © CRC

Calcutta Rescue teilt die beunruhigenden Ergebnisse seiner COVID-Umfrage mit

Laut einer Umfrage zwischen Februar und April 2021 mit 90 Menschen in 10 Slums leiden inzwischen fast zwei Drittel der Slumbewohner:innen in Kolkata unter schwerer Nahrungsmittel-Unsicherheit, und ein Drittel der Jugendlichen hat die Schule abgebrochen. Das sind die schrecklichen Auswirkungen des ersten Jahres der Covid-Krise bevor die zweite, tödlichere Welle von Covid-19 die Stadt traf.

African Union Special Envoy Slams COVAX as COVID Deaths Spike on the Continent, Urges Donors to ‘Pay up’ on Vaccine Pledges
Photo: AMISOM Public Information/UN Photo/John Arigi/flickr

African Union Special Envoy Slams COVAX as COVID Deaths Spike on the Continent, Urges Donors to ‘Pay up’ on Vaccine Pledges

"The African Union (AU) Special Envoy on COVID-19 has bluntly blamed the WHO co-sponsored COVAX facility for the dire vaccine shortage on the continent, saying that it had failed to disclose its vaccine supply problems early enough. Strive Masiyiwa, AU Special Envoy and head of the African COVID-19 Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT) said that had COVAX been honest about its lack of vaccine supplies at the start of the year, the continent might not be facing such a dire shortage of vaccines."

Collateral Damage of COVID-19 on Low- and Middle-Income Countries
There is an urgent need for equitable distribution of vaccines in conjunction with continued health interventions and coordinated global action to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on public health and the economy. Photo: O. Brandenberg, Swiss TPH

Collateral Damage of COVID-19 on Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on both human health, the economy and society at large. There is no doubt that the disease and control measures indirectly effect people’s health and well-being, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the crisis has amplified and deepened existing inequalities. To mitigate the collateral damage, Swiss TPH worked on a myriad of projects to support vulnerable populations around the globe.

Africa Experiences ‘Worst Pandemic Week’
Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Africa Experiences ‘Worst Pandemic Week’

"As Africa recorded its worst pandemic week, the COVAX Facility announced on Thursday that it has taken steps to quickly resume the delivery of vaccines to African countries including diversifying its portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines. Aurélia Nguyen, Managing Director of the COVAX Facility based at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said the COVAX portfolio now consists of nine vaccines and vaccine candidates."

Bilateral Deals Will be Key to Nailing Down G20 Health Ministers’ Declaration
Photo: GovernmentZA/flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Bilateral Deals Will be Key to Nailing Down G20 Health Ministers’ Declaration

"G20 health ministers have agreed to share COVID-19 vaccine doses with low and middle-income countries (LMIC) and to support their capacity to produce their own vaccines, but failed to commit to numbers or a time frame. The two-day meeting of G20 health ministers ended on Monday with the adoption of a health declaration that reiterated the group’s support for strengthening “the resilience of [COVID-19 vaccine] supply chains, to increase and diversify global, local and regional vaccine manufacturing capacity, and building expertise for LMICs, including for the raw materials needed to produce vaccines”."

Averting Future Vaccine Injustice
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Averting Future Vaccine Injustice

"Both rapid innovation and equitable access to vaccines are necessary to protect the world from viral pandemics. Today, however, we face gross inequities in global access to Covid-19 vaccines. As high-income countries, such as the United States and European countries, have secured a majority of the world’s vaccine supply (more than twice the volumes needed to cover their populations1), many low-income countries have barely begun the immunization process. It will take political courage to end such vaccine injustice now and political vision to negotiate the binding international rules needed to avert similar inequities in the future."

In Berlin, a new WHO center aims to keep an eye on emerging diseases
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In Berlin, a new WHO center aims to keep an eye on emerging diseases

"Germany and the World Health Organization (WHO) have teamed up to launch a new hub here that aims to accelerate efforts to detect and respond to new disease outbreaks. The German government pledged $100 million to stand up the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, which was formally inaugurated yesterday."

WHO Lambasts Pfizer, Moderna & Rich Countries for Planning COVID Vaccine ‘Boosters’ – While Billions Wait for First Jab
Photo: UN Geneva/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

WHO Lambasts Pfizer, Moderna & Rich Countries for Planning COVID Vaccine ‘Boosters’ – While Billions Wait for First Jab

"WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus slammed plans by Pfizer and Moderna, as well as a handful of rich countries, to begin offering ‘booster’ COVID vaccines to some groups of people – saying that the world has evolved a “dangerous” two-tiered system of vaccinations, driven by greed instead of enlightened self-interest. “It’s becoming a two tier system, and higher income countries who are vaccinating their population significantly are starting to see the COVID-19 pandemic as if it’s not their problem. That is dangerous,” said the WHO Director General."

The COVID-19 pandemic & the reshaping of  the international public health order
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The COVID-19 pandemic & the reshaping of the international public health order

"If we were to make an account of the global health scenario today, we would have to start recognizing that health has continued to be the terrain of tremendous geopolitical gaming since the new coronavirus came to plague the world in 2020. We now know it: the pandemic should have never occurred in the first place. This is what the WHO Independent Panel for pandemic preparedness and response outspokenly told the international community in its report last May[1]. The world had all the technical knowledge and tools to confine the viral evolution and make SARS-CoV-2 a geographically controlled epidemic. It simply did not do it. The global health catastrophe, with its social and economic crises attached, is the consequence of governments’ failure to abide by the existing rules and cooperate with one another."

A Guide to a Pandemic Treaty
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A Guide to a Pandemic Treaty

"Why this guide? The preparatory work towards the special session of the WHA in late November 2021 to consider a treaty or other international instrument for pandemic preparedness and response continues to trigger questions and debates on the subject matter. Many reviews, discussions and publications so far point to the need for synthesis and clarity on various aspects, important for countries as they engage in the process. (...) This guide therefore represents an independent academic attempt to systematise and shed light on some of the most frequently asked questions or issues otherwise important in the run up of the special session of the WHA, and potentially beyond. It is part of a project located at the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva."

G20 urged to do more to support global vaccine distribution
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G20 urged to do more to support global vaccine distribution

"The worldwide economic recovery will be held back massively unless world leaders do more to end the growing divergence of vaccine distribution, a new alliance of the world multilateral institutions has said. The International Monetary Fund director, Kristalina Georgieva, said the G7 agreement in Cornwall to distribute 870m surplus vaccines this year was not enough, and urged the broader G20 group to show more ambition when she spoke alongside the heads of the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization (WTO)."

Die Entwicklung des Virus in den nächsten Monaten
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Die Entwicklung des Virus in den nächsten Monaten

Die Wissenschaft ist nicht sonderlich optimistisch, was die Entwicklung der Pandemie anbelangt: Der Wettlauf zwischen Impfungen und neuen Virusstämmen wird erst enden, wenn Covid-19 fast alle Menschen erfasst hat, entweder durch eine Impfung oder durch eine Ansteckung. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass Milliarden von Menschen auf der ganzen Welt noch nicht geimpft sind und es kaum noch Chancen gibt, das Virus auszurotten, ist in den kommenden Monaten mit weiteren Ausbrüchen zu rechnen. Eine der Hauptgefahren ist die Entwicklung einer impfstoffresistenten Variante, obwohl dies nicht das einzige Risiko ist.

Solidarity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Photo: Screenhot High Level Panel

Solidarity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

"The World Health Organization has repeatedly called for solidarity to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines how the world has responded to the call for solidarity."

Impfstoffe nur für die Meistbietenden?
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Impfstoffe nur für die Meistbietenden?

Ein schnellerer und gerechterer globaler Zugang zu Covid-19-Impfstoffen ist jetzt notwendig. Die Entwicklung der ersten Covid-19-Impfstoffe in Rekordzeit war ein wissenschaftlicher Erfolg, aber ein katastrophales moralisches Versagen. Bis zum 1. September hatten Länder mit niedrigem Einkommen weniger als 2 % ihrer Bevölkerung geimpft. Covax, die multilaterale Initiative für den Zugang zu Impfstoffen, hat Dosen gekauft, die nur 16,6 % der Bevölkerung der teilnehmenden Länder abdecken. Die Regierungen haben zwar Milliarden an öffentlichen Mitteln in die Impfstoffforschung investiert, diese Mittel aber nicht genutzt um den weltweiten Zugang zu gewährleisten. Um die nächste Ge-neration von Covid-19-Impfstoffen zugänglich zu machen, müssen an künftige öffentliche Investitionen klare Bedingungen geknüpft sein wie etwa die Weitergabe von Daten, Technologie und Know-how sowie die Verpflichtung der Hersteller, Impfstoffe zu fairen Preisen anzubieten und die Länder auf der Grundlage des Bedarfs und nicht des Reichtums zu beliefern. Der derzeitige marktwirtschaftliche Ansatz belohnt jedoch das Gegenteil - das Horten von Daten, Know-how und geistigem Eigentum und den Verkauf von Impfstoffen an den Meistbietenden. Experten*innen haben daher die Einrichtung eines internationalen Fonds in Höhe von 15 Milliarden Dollar pro Jahr für die Pandemievorsorge gefordert.

Nach Corona ist vor der nächsten Pandemie
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Nach Corona ist vor der nächsten Pandemie

"Ich fürchte, dies wird keine angenehme Lektüre, denn es wird um Pandemien gehen. Nicht um jene, die seit März 2020 unser Leben in all seinen Facetten durchdringt. Sondern um die, die nach Sars-CoV-2 kommen mögen. Sars-CoV-2 hat uns vor Augen geführt, wie schnell ein neuer Krankheitserreger die Welt, wie wir sie kennen, lahmlegen kann. Und leider kann genau das jederzeit erneut passieren."

A New Pandemic Treaty, Revised International Health Regulations, or Both? What is the Actual Roadmap?
Photo: Guilhem Vellut/flickr, CC BY 2.0

A New Pandemic Treaty, Revised International Health Regulations, or Both? What is the Actual Roadmap?

"The World Health Assembly is set to make a fateful decision in November over whether to negotiate a new international ‘Pandemic Treaty’ to improve future pandemic preparedness and response. However, major players like the United States, backed by some civil society groups, have suggested that revisions of the existing International Health Regulations (IHR) would be a better path. Amidst the hyperbole of oft-heated debate over which route might be easier, quicker or more effective, it’s important to understand that either option will require careful, systematic planning and execution of a process that is oft-misunderstood."

Access Advocates Urge 11th Hour WTO Action on COVID IP Waiver – COVAX Strikes World Bank Deal on Vaccine Finance
Photo: World Trade Organization/ © WTO/Bryan Lehmann/flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Access Advocates Urge 11th Hour WTO Action on COVID IP Waiver – COVAX Strikes World Bank Deal on Vaccine Finance

"Vaccine access advocates issued increasingly desperate, last minute calls upon the World Trade Organization to take action over a stalled initiative to impose a temporary waiver on intellectual property for COVID medicines, tests and vaccines – even as the initiative appeared doomed to a stalemate for the rest of the summer. Ahead of the opening of Tuesday’s two-day meeting of the WTO General Council, Médecins Sans Frontières urged the European Union (EU), Norway, the UK, and Switzerland “to stop stalling the landmark proposal to waive intellectual property (IP) on lifesaving COVID-19 medical tools at the WTO, and join forces with more than 100 countries supporting it by openly engaging in formal negotiations to expedite the consensus."

Medecins Sans Frontieres: 870m Vaccine Doses Being Hoarded by 10 Rich Countries – ‘Tragedy’ for Those Deprived of Jabs
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Medecins Sans Frontieres: 870m Vaccine Doses Being Hoarded by 10 Rich Countries – ‘Tragedy’ for Those Deprived of Jabs

"The hoarding of more than 870 million excess doses of COVID-19 vaccines in just 10 high-income countries is likely to deprive hundreds of millions of healthcare workers and vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries of the opportunity to get even a first vaccine dose, according to a new report by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). The report maps doses that will be available until the end of 2021 in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia and seven other European countries – even after all people age 16 and over were fully vaccinated and third booster doses administered to those at risk."

Delta Variant is ‘More Transmissible Than Ebola’, and Vaccinated People May also be Highly Contagious
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Delta Variant is ‘More Transmissible Than Ebola’, and Vaccinated People May also be Highly Contagious

"The war against COVID-19 has changed with the emergence of the highly transmissible and deadly Delta variant, said an internal US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) slide presentation. The document, which has not yet been released, was obtained by the Washington Post and calls for a new and more aggressive masking and vaccination strategy in the US to combat the spread of the Delta variant. Most alarmingly, it warns that people with breakthrough infections, which are cases that occur despite full vaccination, may be as contagious as unvaccinated people."

Governing Pandemics
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GOVERNING PANDEMICS

"GoverningPandemics.org is an initiative of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. This online portal launched in July 2021 provides a concise overview of six issue areas where change is needed at the global level to better prepare for and respond to potential pandemics. For each of these, the site offers key official documents, a selection of additional research and analysis, and regular updates on ongoing policy processes. This resource may be useful for a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, journalists, civil society organizations, the private sector, academic researchers and students, as well as citizens concerned about building a more equitable and effective global system for governing potential pandemics."

Bulletin #4: Crackdown on health activists
Photo: UN Women Asia and the Pacific/UN Women/Pathumporn Thongking/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Bulletin #4: Crackdown on health activists

"Shatha Odeh, a nurse and health activist from the organization Health Work Committees (HWC), was detained along with 9 other Palestinian activists by the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) on 7 July, 2021. Her arrest comes a month after raids on HWC headquarters by the IOF. HWC’s role in the provision of healthcare to Palestinians is undeniable, and even more crucial as the pandemic enters a fourth wave in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This crackdown shows a complete disregard on the part of the IOF for the well-being of Palestinians. This is also widely seen as a strategy to crush Palestinian civil society."

The Right to Participation in Global Health Governance
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The Right to Participation in Global Health Governance

"Drawing on human rights standards and principles, and on existing structures in the HIV, TB and malaria sectors, we argue that the human right to participation should extend to permanent seats and votes for civil society and affected communities on governance boards. Our argument is informed by an analysis by STOPAIDS, Aidsfonds, CSSN and Frontline AIDS, by consultations led by STOPAIDS, and by the examples of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (“the Global Fund”), Unitaid, and the Access to Covid Technologies-Accelerator (ACT-A)."

What The World Needs Now
Photo by Roger Starnes Sr on Unsplash

What The World Needs Now

"The COVID-19 pandemic which engulfed every corner of the globe in early 2020 has exacted a catastrophic toll, sowing 186 million infections and 4 million deaths by mid-July 2021. It also badly dented (and even shattered) the world economy and the interconnected supply chains that help nourish it – creating even more widespread misery. (...) In a recent conversation with The Wilson Quarterly, Ilona Kickbusch spoke about the obstacles in the way of an agreement, and how nations might come together to act against future pandemics. She also debunked faulty presuppositions about the WHO’s authority, flexibility, and potential effectiveness as a venue for a treaty."

COVAX and the rise of the ‘super public private partnership’ for global health
Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

COVAX and the rise of the ‘super public private partnership’ for global health

"COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), has been promoted as ‘the only global solution' to vaccine equity and ending the Covid-19 pandemic. ACT-A and COVAX build on the public-private partnership (PPP) model that dominates global health governance, but take it to a new level, constituting an experimental form that we call the ‘super-PPP'. Based on an analysis of COVAX's governance structure and its difficulties in achieving its aims, we identify several features of the super-PPP model."

Inmitten der dritten Corona-Welle: Afrika will in die Impfstoffproduktion einsteigen
Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash

Inmitten der dritten Corona-Welle: Afrika will in die Impfstoffproduktion einsteigen

"Weniger als 2 Prozent der afrikanischen Bevölkerung sind vollständig gegen das Coronavirus geimpft. Weil Impfstoff rar ist, wollen Länder wie Südafrika, Ägypten und Marokko die Produktion selbst in die Hand nehmen. Doch das Unterfangen steht vor grossen Herausforderungen."

The Deep Dives Digest: October 2021
Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash

The Deep Dives Digest: October 2021

"Here is a recap on everything significant that bubbled up in Global Health in Geneva. And in case you missed it earlier, here were two interesting events we were a part of this month: 1. A discussion on global health governance and financing at the World Health Summit in Berlin in a session called Global Health Governance Post-COVID-19. The SDG3 Global Action Plan as Key Vehicle for Synergies? You can watch it here. - 2. With my fellow researcher Remco van de Pas (The Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp), we presented findings from a research project on the pandemic treaty. The project is steered by the Geneva Global Health Hub. You can watch the presentation and the ensuing discussion here. My slides are here. A formal launch event in Geneva is scheduled in November where the final report will be released."

Covid-19-Impfkampagne in Butha-Buthe
Die 26-jährige Mapolao Sekoenya erhält ihre Covid-19-Impfung in Lehlakaneng. Foto: SolidarMed

Covid-19-Impfkampagne in Butha-Buthe

Im Juli erhielt Lesotho den Johnson Johnson-Impfstoff. Das Gesundheitsmanagement-Team in Butha-Buthe führte die Covid-19-Impf-Kampagne in den Dörfern durch, um auf diese Weise auch die ländliche Bevölkerung zu erreichen. SolidarMed war einer der Hauptunterstützer dieser Initiative und stellte personelle Unterstützung und Fahrzeuge zur Verfügung.

Santé pour tou·tes! Pour la levée des brevets privés! La mobilisation continue le 30 novembre.

Santé pour tou·tes! Pour la levée des brevets privés! La mobilisation continue le 30 novembre.

"Outre les différentes mesures instaurées pour freiner la propagation de la pandémie, la majorité des pays s’est lancée dans une campagne de vaccination de leur population. Or, le Covid montre une nouvelle fois que nous ne sommes pas tou·tes égaux·ales face à une même situation sanitaire. Plus de 60 % de la population d’Amérique du Nord et d’Europe occidentale est vaccinée. Tandis que seuls 2,1 % de la population des 27 pays à faible revenu ont reçu une dose contre le Covid…La cause, la protection des brevets sur les vaccins et médicaments."

Do we need a pandemic treaty? A CSO perspective
Photo: © G2H2

Do we need a pandemic treaty? A CSO perspective

"(...) The Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) is currently mapping this complex proposal and its ultimate goals and implications in the global health governance through a bottom-up research and advocacy project that aims to involve those who have concretely tackled the response to COVID-19 in countries. The study is also discussing the possibility of alternative governance for the right to health, based on the principles of cooperation and solidarity and focusing on some of the structural pathogens leading to the pandemic. On the sidelines of the World Health Summit in Berlin, the German Platform for Global Health and G2H2 jointly hosted an online presentation of the preliminary findings of the G2H2 study, prior to its formal launch in Geneva in mid-November, ahead of the World Health Assembly Special Session."

The many shades of international cooperation in global health
Photo by Adam Gethin on Unsplash

The many shades of international cooperation in global health

"Days pass by quicker towards the end of the year. Both at WTO and WHO, countries are mustering up everything they have to reach consensus on how the world should be better prepared for health emergencies in the future. This is even as existing inequities are exacerbating at a frightening pace. The WHO reported last week, “every day, there are six times more boosters administered globally than primary doses in low-income countries.”

The Pandemic Treaty Proposal expands global health inequities
Photo: United States Mission Geneva/flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0

The Pandemic Treaty Proposal expands global health inequities

"The World Health Assembly Special Session in November will be considering the benefits of developing a new international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response. Rich countries are using the opportunity to sideline discussions on equity in public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening a World Health Assembly Special Session (WHASS) between November 29 and December 1, 2021."

A tale of two pandemics: the true cost of Covid in the global south
Photo by Edward edion on Unsplash

A tale of two pandemics: the true cost of Covid in the global south

"For the past year and a half, people everywhere have been in the grip of a pandemic – but not necessarily the same one. In the affluent world, a viral respiratory disease, Covid-19, suddenly became a leading cause of death. In much of the developing world, by contrast, the main engine of destruction wasn’t this new disease, but its second-order effects: measures they took, and we took, in response to the coronavirus. Richer nations and poorer nations differ in their vulnerabilities."

The politics of a WHO pandemic treaty in a disenchanted world
Photo: © G2H2

The politics of a WHO pandemic treaty in a disenchanted world

(...) "At an upcoming Special Session of the World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization and its member states are undertaking an effort to agree on negotiating a new international legal instrument for pandemic preparedness and response. - But does the world need a new “pandemic treaty”? Is it the right thing, at the right time? The Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) has unpacked these pertinent questions through research undertaken involving a broad range of experts including those who have concretely tackled the COVID-19 response in their countries. G2H2 has mapped the complexity of this treaty proposal and its potential implications for the future scenario of global health governance. The resulting report launched by G2H2 on 24 November addresses the need for new approaches to the challenge of a pandemic future. - A fully edited version of the report will be available in mid-December 2021."

Global leaders set to discuss pandemic treaty
Photo by Giacomo Carra on Unsplash

Global leaders set to discuss pandemic treaty

"Governments will gather in Geneva this week to decide whether to enter into a legally binding agreement on greater funding and improved global access to medicines and vaccines to better tackle future pandemics. Over three days, they will consider whether to start drafting a legal convention on responding to health emergencies, for only the second time since the approval of World Health Organisation’s constitution 75 years ago."

Only 1 in 4 African health workers fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Photo: Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa

Only 1 in 4 African health workers fully vaccinated against COVID-19

"Only 27% of health workers in Africa have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, leaving the bulk of the workforce on the frontlines against the pandemic unprotected, a preliminary analysis by World Health Organization (WHO) shows. Analysis of data reported from 25 countries finds that since March 2021, 1.3 million health workers were fully vaccinated, with just six countries reaching more than 90%, while nine countries have fully vaccinated less than 40%. In sharp contrast, a recent WHO global study of 22 mostly high-income countries reported that above 80% of their health and care workers are fully vaccinated."

Frustrated by vaccine inequity, a South African lab rushes to replicate Moderna’s shot
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Frustrated by vaccine inequity, a South African lab rushes to replicate Moderna’s shot

"CAPE TOWN, South Africa — In an industrial area of this seaside city, a little-known biotech company is entering a pivotal phase of making Africa’s first coronavirus vaccine by attempting to replicate Moderna’s highly effective mRNA-based shot. Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines is racing to make a vaccine because, despite donation pledges, supply is short and just 6 percent of Africa’s 1.2 billion people have been inoculated."

Weltgesundheitsversammlung bringt Pandemievertrag auf den Weg
Foto: United States Mission Geneva/Eric Bridiers/flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Weltgesundheitsversammlung bringt Pandemievertrag auf den Weg

Bei der außerordentlichen Weltgesundheitsversammlung (WHA) Anfang Dezember 2021 in Genf unterstützten alle 194 Mitgliedsstaaten die Aushandlung eines neuen Abkommens, das die Reaktion auf künftige globale Pandemien regeln soll. Stehende Ovationen für den Entscheid können jedoch nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen, dass die Verhandlungen, die Anfang März 2022 beginnen sollen, kompliziert werden. Im Fokus eines neuen Vertrages stehen eine bessere Governance, bessere Finanzierungsmechanismen, grössere Transparenz, mehr Solidarität und Gerechtigkeit im Falle einer globalen Krise – Kriterien, die bei bestehenden Regelungen, wie den Internationalen Gesundheitsvorschriften (IHR) vermisst werden.

Bericht der Zivilgesellschaft äussert Besorgnis über vorgeschlagenen Pandemie-Vertrag
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Bericht der Zivilgesellschaft äussert Besorgnis über vorgeschlagenen Pandemie-Vertrag

Organisationen der Zivilgesellschaft haben ihre Besorgnis über die Eile bei den Verhandlungen über den vorgeschlagenen Pandemievertrag auf der Anfang Dezember 2021 abgehaltenen Sondersitzung der Weltgesundheitsversammlung (WHASS) geäußert. Wie ein im Vorfeld der Sitzung der WHASS veröffentlichter Forschungsbericht des Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2), einer unabhängigen Plattform von Organisationen der Zivilgesellschaft verdeutlicht, gibt es viele Bedenken seitens von Expert*innen sowie von Ländern im globalen Süden, hinsichtlich des diplomatischen Prozesses und der Berücksichtigung der geopolitischen Komplexität eines neuen Pandemievertrages. Kritisch bewertet wird ausserdem, warum bestehende gültige internationale Vereinbarungen – wie die Internationalen Gesundheitsvorschriften von 2005 – einfach ausser Acht gelassen werden, ohne eine ernsthafte Bewertung der Gründe vorzunehmen, warum deren Umsetzung vernachlässigt und missachtet wurde.

Vaccine waiver is a moment of truth for EU values
Photo by Braňo on Unsplash

Vaccine waiver is a moment of truth for EU values

"The coronavirus pandemic is far from over. In the wake of the discovery of the Omicron variant and the risk it represents, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) deadlock over a TRIPS intellectual property waiver on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments is simply unconscionable. Epidemiologists warned us time and again that allowing the virus to spread around the world is a recipe for new mutations to develop and that they will indiscriminately harm us all. This waiver, which has now dominated WTO talks for over a year, is a necessary global solution to end the pandemic. Yet one powerful voice at the WTO has continued to undermine this effort — and that must change."

Addressing production gaps for vaccines in African countries
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Addressing production gaps for vaccines in African countries

"Global health initiatives rely on international solidarity. However, the extreme inequity in access to vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across countries demonstrates that we cannot depend on national politicians and industry alone to make strategic choices for our global common good. High-income countries have been accused of undermining the coordinated purchase and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines through non-transparent pharmaceutical deals, production delays and vaccine export restrictions. As of 1 November 2021 fewer than 35 million of over 7 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in low-income countries."

World commits to a pandemic-response pact: what’s next
Photo by Matthew TenBruggencate on Unsplash

World commits to a pandemic-response pact: what’s next

"As researchers scrambled this week to learn more about Omicron, the latest SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variant of concern, world leaders met to negotiate a way of ensuring that a crisis on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic won’t happen again. Initially on the table was a legally binding pandemic treaty that would dictate how nations should respond to future outbreaks. A fuzzier form of that proposal is now moving forward, to be sharpened in the months and years to come."

Two years into this pandemic, the world is dangerously unprepared for the next one, report says
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Two years into this pandemic, the world is dangerously unprepared for the next one, report says

"With its vast wealth and scientific capability, the United States held on to its top ranking among 195 countries, even as it scored lowest on public confidence in government — a factor associated with high numbers of cases and deaths. - Nearly two years into a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people, every country, including the United States, remains dangerously unprepared to respond to future epidemic and pandemic threats, according to a report released Wednesday assessing the efforts of 195 countries."

Opposition to the TRIPS waiver: dispatches from the frontline
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

Opposition to the TRIPS waiver: dispatches from the frontline

"‘It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid…’ And yet there is. The original 1984 lyrics of the Band Aid song directed at the famine in Ethiopia, also includes the line: ‘And the Christmas bells that ring there, are the clanging chimes of doom. Well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you’. I think of that original shocker now in the context of overcoming barriers to the global south getting vaccinated. It’s almost as if the current policy of the rich world is to say: thank God it’s them who are dying because they are not vaccinated, instead of you."

Two years of COVID-19 in Africa: lessons for the world
Photo: World Bank Photo Collection/Henitsoa Rafalia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Two years of COVID-19 in Africa: lessons for the world

"In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa’s rapid and coordinated response, informed by emerging data, was remarkable. Now, in 2022, as vast vaccination campaigns have enabled the global north to gain some control over the pandemic, Africa lags behind. (...) In principle, Africa could build on the astonishing gains it has made in surveillance and public-health responsiveness to outbreaks in recent years. It could sufficiently invest in commodities to ensure its health security, and position itself as a world leader in fighting infectious diseases. The alternative? There really isn’t one."

Pharmaceutical leaders admit 'we dismally failed' at global Covid vaccine rollout
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

Pharmaceutical leaders admit 'we dismally failed' at global Covid vaccine rollout

"The pharmaceutical industry has to admit “we dismally failed” at ensuring Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out across the globe, the head of a major trade body conceded on Thursday. In a candid press briefing, Thomas Cueni, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), said that although 2021 has, in many ways, been an “amazing year” for the industry, “everybody is ashamed and embarrassed” by the vast imbalances in access to coronavirus shots worldwide."

Divergences Continue on the Approaches to Reform the Governance of Health Emergencies
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Divergences Continue on the Approaches to Reform the Governance of Health Emergencies

"The new year is off to a blazing start. These first few days of 2022 have already revealed the direction this year could take. Geneva is in its element. From sharp divergences on the ways to reform the governance of health emergencies at WHO, to not finding common ground on an emergency meeting to discuss the TRIPS waiver at the WTO, countries continue to be ensnared in an overall lack of consensus on key matters. This policy logjam continues in the middle of a wave of new infections in this pandemic."

Covid-19 as a long multiwave event: implications for responses to safeguard younger generations
UNICEF Ethiopia Youth volunteers take to the streets to mobilize against COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Covid-19 as a long multiwave event: implications for responses to safeguard younger generations

"As we enter the third year of the covid-19 pandemic, the negative effects have cut across all of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and led to severe health and developmental challenges. Children and young people in particular continue to face numerous socioeconomic problems as a result of covid-19, including those related to health, poverty, nutrition, education, employment, orphanhood, violence, abuse, and exploitation. Evidence indicates that integrated solutions to mitigate the many different negative effects of the pandemic on children and young people can be delivered quickly and on a sufficient scale. To deliver solutions that help safeguard younger generations, we need to move beyond a narrow framing of covid-19 and use a multilevel, intersectoral response that takes into account the magnitude, complexity, and intergenerational dimensions of the pandemic."

Bulletin #18: New waves of resistance
Photo by Mat Napo on Unsplash

Bulletin #18: New waves of resistance

"Millions of people around the world have been thrown into poverty during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet big pharmaceutical companies have reported record levels of profit. Thanks to sales of the Comirnaty vaccine, in 2021 Pfizer has secured a 134% rise in revenue compared to the previous year. The company is now looking to exploit the pandemic even more while introducing the Paxlovid drug to high-income countries, while leaving it out of reach of poor countries."

Assessing the Potential Health Impact of Omicron
Depending on infectivity, severity and immune evasion properties of Omicron, different strategies will be required to mediate impact on health systems. Photo: Pixabay / Alexandra Koch

Assessing the Potential Health Impact of Omicron

Cases of SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron are surging in numerous settings, with early evidence suggesting Omicron is more infectious than the Delta variant. It is not yet known, however, if Omicron has higher severity or if vaccines are less effective. New research from Swiss TPH now provides guidance to decision-makers on Omicron’s potential public health impact for a range of different scenarios. The paper is currently under review and available as pre-print.

The politics of a WHO pandemic treaty in a disenchanted world
Photo: © G2H2

The politics of a WHO pandemic treaty in a disenchanted world

"In early 2021, the announcement that some Member States were eager to kick off negotiations for a new binding instrument for global health at the WHO came as a surprise. Most health policy arrangements are grounded on soft norms, and the WHO has used its constitutional normative power adopting binding agreements only twice in over seventy years of history. This development appeared more unexpected as the Member States promoting the idea of a treaty for pandemic preparedness and response have in the past staunchly opposed hard norm setting at the WHO:"

Essential health services face continued disruption during COVID-19 pandemic
Photo: U.S. Mission Geneva/ Eric Bridiers/flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Essential health services face continued disruption during COVID-19 pandemic

"Two years into the pandemic, health systems are still facing significant challenges in providing essential health services. Ongoing disruptions have been reported in over 90% of countries surveyed in the third round of WHO’s Global pulse survey on continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries reported disruptions across services for all major health areas including sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, immunization, nutrition, cancer care, mental, neurological and substance use disorders, HIV, hepatitis, TB, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and care for older people. Additionally, even as COVID-19 vaccination has scaled up, increased disruptions were reported in routine immunization services."

The Political Utility of The WHO mRNA Hub
Photo von Chokniti Khongchum von Pexels

The Political Utility of The WHO mRNA Hub

"Symbols not only have great illustrative power, but call attention to a wider phenomenon that they represent. The WHO mRNA hub, has become sort of a symbol of a concerted effort to address vaccine inequities and yet, at the same time reveals the political context in which it has been shaped. (...) Although it has received no support from the big vaccine manufacturers, the initiative has begun bold. Much is at stake, as revealed by efforts to undermine it."

Vaccine access puts EU and Africa at odds ahead of summit
President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo: GovernmentZA/GCIS/flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Vaccine access puts EU and Africa at odds ahead of summit

"Europe's refusal to share COVID-19 vaccine technology threatens to overshadow a major gathering of European and African leaders this week. Europe wants to use the meeting — which has been delayed by 16 months due to the pandemic — to advance relations on several fronts, including trade and digital connectivity. But access to vaccines will be high on the agenda. African leaders are furious that the continent received mere "crumbs" from wealthy countries’ overflowing plate of vaccines, leaving their populations much less protected against the virus. They will be looking to the two-day summit between the EU and African Union for evidence that Europe is serious about tackling what South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has blasted as "vaccine apartheid." And Europe shows no sign of moving on what is a central issue for many African leaders — loosening access to intellectual property on vaccines."

BioNTech To Ship Modular mRNA Vaccine Facilities in Containers to African Countries to Jump-start Production
Photo: Paul Kagame/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

BioNTech To Ship Modular mRNA Vaccine Facilities in Containers to African Countries to Jump-start Production

"The German-based BioNTech, which co-developed with Pfizer an mRNA COVID vaccine, said on Wednesday that it will set up modular “turnkey” mRNA vaccine facilities to produce the vaccine in Rwanda and Senegal in 2022 – with a fill-and-finish collaboration in Ghana as well. South Africa, which is the new hub for the WHO-supported mRNA vaccine R&D and manufacturing hub focusing on open-access products- may also join the initiative later, said the company in a press release. Speaking at a press briefing Wednesday morning, which included the presidents of Rwanda, Ghana and Senegal, as well as WHO and Africa CDC, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin, described the new cutting-edge BioNTainer initiative for vaccine production as – following “the most elementary principle of reducing complexity by copying the manufacturing units having modular action unit and by copying the process and transferring it to another place."

Covid-19: WHO efforts to bring vaccine manufacturing to Africa are undermined by the drug industry, documents show
Photo: Tim Reckmann/flickr, CC BY 2.0

Covid-19: WHO efforts to bring vaccine manufacturing to Africa are undermined by the drug industry, documents show

"A foundation representing the vaccine maker BioNTech has been accused of seeking to undermine the World Health Organization’s initiative to bring covid vaccine manufacturing to the African continent, The BMJ can reveal. The kENUP Foundation, a consultancy hired by BioNTech, has claimed that WHO’s hub, which is creating a covid-19 mRNA vaccine that African companies can make, is unlikely to be successful and will infringe on patents, documents obtained by The BMJ have shown. Instead, they show kENUP promoting BioNTech’s proposal to ship mRNA factories housed in sea containers from Europe to Africa, initially staffed with BioNTech workers, and a proposed new regulatory pathway to approve the vaccines made in these factories. The novel pathway has been described as paternalistic and unworkable by some experts, as it seems to bypass local regulators."

Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons towards a more effective response to public health emergencies
Photo: Prachatai/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons towards a more effective response to public health emergencies

"The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a timely reminder of the nature and impact of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern. As of 12 January 2022, there were over 314 million cases and over 5.5 million deaths notified since the start of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic takes variable shapes and forms, in terms of cases and deaths, in different regions and countries of the world. The objective of this study is to analyse the variable expression of COVID-19 pandemic so that lessons can be learned towards an effective public health emergency response."

Herausforderungen für einen künftigen Pandemievertrag
Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

Herausforderungen für einen künftigen Pandemievertrag

Am 1. Dezember 2021 haben sich die 194 Mitglieder der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) auf die Ausarbeitung eines internationalen Instruments zur Pandemieprävention geeinigt. Ein solches Instrument soll die Widerstandsfähigkeit gegenüber künftigen Pandemien stärken, ein grösseres politisches Engagement durch die Regierungsverantworlichen der Welt gewährleisten sowie das Vertrauen in das internationale Gesundheitssystem und in die WHO verbessern. Einer der wichtigsten Themenkomplexe, dem das Pandemieabkommen Rechnung tragen muss, wird es sein, faire Regeln für den grenzüberschreitenden Austausch von Krankheitserregern mit pandemischem Potenzial auszuarbeiten, die bestehende internationale Abkommen, wie das Nagoya-Protokoll​ oder das PiP Rahmenwerk und deren zentrale Errungenschaft des Vorteilsausgleiches nicht gefährden und gegebenenfalls vorhandene Vertragslücken schliessen. Das Engagement für gesundheitliche Chancengleichheit aller wird ein wichtiges Vertragsmittel sein.

Expanding Global Research Capabilities to Prepare for Future Pandemics
Photo by Diane Serik on Unsplash

Expanding Global Research Capabilities to Prepare for Future Pandemics

"From increasing disease surveillance and developing a pan-coronavirus vaccine to ‘eco-health’ and public trust, participants in the COVID-19 Global Research and Innovation Forum considered ways to globally prepare for future pandemics and end the current one. The third such forum, hosted by the World Health Organization, brought together over 100 research scientists, experts, policy makers, and donors worldwide to discuss and strategize about the future of COVID-19 research 24-25 February."

We cannot afford to repeat these four pandemic mistakes
Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

We cannot afford to repeat these four pandemic mistakes

"As a physician, one of the hardest parts of the covid-19 pandemic was watching patients get steadily sicker and often die. At the bedside, we see past the numbers dispassionately presented on data dashboards and instead understand the real human suffering that is at the heart of a virus like SARS-CoV-2 spreading. (...) Yet when we pull back on public health protections, the ensuing harms are more heavily burdened on those who often are not in a position to adequately protect themselves. As healthcare workers, they often end up as our patients—and their stories offer examples of where our pandemic response failed."

New WHO Negotiating Body on ‘Pandemic Instrument’ Meets Amid Civil Society Appeal
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

New WHO Negotiating Body on ‘Pandemic Instrument’ Meets Amid Civil Society Appeal

"The first session of the newly constituted Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft a “pandemic preparedness instrument” for the World Health Organization (WHO) began on Monday. The six-member body, representing all WHO regions, is made up of Precious Matsoso (South Africa), Roland Driece (the Netherlands), Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes (Brazil), Ahmed Salama Soliman (Egypt), Kazuho Taguchi (Japan) and Viroj Tangcharoensathien (Thailand). (...) Meanwhile, almost 200 civil society leaders have asked the six negotiators to protect the process from any “undue influence of the private sector and its powerful lobbyists”. In an open letter addressed the six negotiators, the leaders have asked the INB to pay attention to a number of issues."

“You have a great responsibility on your shoulders…”
Photo: © G2H2

“You have a great responsibility on your shoulders…”

"Dear members of the INB Bureau - as you start your mandate as leaders of the newly constituted Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (INB), allow us to submit for your attention a set of critical issues that, in our sense, deserve to be taken into serious consideration at this early stage of the INB process. We represent a broad constituency of civil society organizations that have a long history of engagement in the WHO global health agenda. Some of us have been and still are very active in treaty-making processes, including significant efforts in the past towards including foundational accountability and transparency principles and requisite provisions in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) proceedings at the WHO."

A compromise on the horizon? TRIPS Waiver talks in the 'Quad' at the WTO
Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash

A compromise on the horizon? TRIPS Waiver talks in the 'Quad' at the WTO

"While the Russian invasion of Ukraine has upended trade diplomacy at the WTO in recent days, the TRIPS waiver discussions have proceeded among a small group of members and is likely nearing a compromise, although differences persist. Sources familiar with the process told us that technical deliberations among the quad that includes the US, the EU, India and South Africa, are now nearing completion."

Too little, too late
Photo: https://pixabay.com/de/photos/impfung-coronavirus-medizinisch-6165772/

Too little, too late

"More than 500 days have passed since - in the midst of the spreading Covid-19 pandemic - the governments of South Africa and India submitted a request to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to temporarily suspend patents. A request guided by global principles. Whilst more than 100 countries, mainly from the Global South, supported the request, the majority of industrialised nations sought to defend economic interests instead of health imperatives, rejecting the request. A compromise proposal has since been put on the table, negotiated by the EU, the US, India and South Africa. Spoiler: It falls drastically short of the aim of global vaccine equity.

COVID-19 – A Game Changer in International Health Cooperation?
Foto: MMS

COVID-19 – A Game Changer in International Health Cooperation?

Die COVID-19-Pandemie veränderte die globale Gesundheitslandschaft. Sie veränderte die Gesundheitssysteme und -politiken sowie die Art und Weise, wie die an der internationalen Gesundheitszusammenarbeit beteiligten Organisationen arbeiten, erheblich. Seit 2015 arbeitet die internationale Gemeinschaft an der Umsetzung der Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung, um globale Herausforderungen, Ungleichheiten und Disparitäten, die durch die weltweite COVID-19-Pandemie noch stärker zutage getreten sind, zu beseitigen. Die Auswirkungen von COVID-19 haben in vielen Ländern Fortschritte ins Stocken gebracht und hart erkämpfte Erfolge zunichte gemacht. Das MMS-Symposium untersuchte die wichtigsten strukturellen Faktoren, die zu den unverhältnismässigen Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf viele Bevölkerungsgruppen, aber vor allem auf Randgruppen geführt haben. Weitere Erkenntnisse unseres Symposiums zu diesem Thema werden in diesem Bulletin vorgestellt.

Africa prepares for endemic COVID-19
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Africa prepares for endemic COVID-19

"As countries in Europe and elsewhere roll back strict measures against COVID-19 and aim to soon declare the pandemic over, African countries and their public health stakeholders are also starting to shift their attention. Vaccination continues to remain important, but the focus is moving on to longer-term testing and surveillance approaches that can be integrated into, and will strengthen, national health systems."

African clinical trial denied access to key COVID drug Paxlovid
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African clinical trial denied access to key COVID drug Paxlovid

"Researchers in a pivotal African clinical trial have been denied access to a key COVID-19 antiviral drug, frustrating efforts to test the treatment in African populations and in combination with therapies that could potentially expand its utility on the continent. The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) has asked Pfizer for supplies of its antiviral drug Paxlovid to use in the ANTICOV clinical trial, a large study in ten African countries that aims to find treatments for mild to moderate COVID-19 — particularly those that will work in resource-poor settings."

Public hearings regarding a new international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response
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Public hearings regarding a new international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response

"WHO is seeking public input on this question to support the work of the intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate an international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The first round of hearings will be held through a webcast on 12-13 April 2022. Sessions times are in Central European Summer Time (CEST). - 12 April, 8h-11h, 14h-17h; 13 April, 9h-12h, 15h-18h. A second round of hearings is planned for 16-17 June."

Ein Umdenken der internationalen Hilfe im Gesundheitswesen ist notwendig
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Ein Umdenken der internationalen Hilfe im Gesundheitswesen ist notwendig

Die COVID-19-Pandemie und die von ihr ausgelöste Wirtschaftskrise haben die nationalen Gesundheitssysteme und die internationale Hilfe herausgefordert und in Frage gestellt. Da Länder und Geber gleichermaßen ihren Ansatz für Investitionen in Gesundheit als Folge von COVID-19 überdenken, ist es dringend erforderlich, die Konzeption und Umsetzung der externen Hilfe für die Gesundheit neu zu formieren. Wie kann externe Hilfe zu nachhaltigen Gesundheitsmassnahmen beitragen, die erforderlich sind, um die Länder in ihren Bemühungen, um die Verwirklichung von UHC zu unterstützen? Schon vor Covid gab es grundlegende Probleme in den Modellen der externen Hilfe, wie z.b. das Konzept des «Überganges» (externe Finanzierung wurde ab einem bestimmten Wirtschaftswachstum eines Landes reduziert) oder die Konzentration auf extern festgelegte Prioritäten, statt auf der Aufrechterhaltung eines Leistungsumfangs eines jeweiligen Gesundheitswesens. Die Autor:innen sind überzeugt, dass für eine notwendige Neubewertung von Hilfe bessere Erkenntnisse erforderlich sind, die vor allem durch drei Forschungsbereiche gefördert werden könnten.

Activists’ Guide for a Healthier World: Global Health Watch 6 - In the shadow of the pandemic
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Activists’ Guide for a Healthier World: Global Health Watch 6 - In the shadow of the pandemic

"Global Health Watch 6 (GHW6) is the latest edition of People’s Health Movement’s flagship publication, released every 3 years in collaboration with like-minded organizations and the voluntary effort of over 100 contributors from all over the world. Written in the shadow of a global pandemic (the book’s subtitle), it describes how and why the pandemic deepened inequities in health and access to healthcare. But it also looks beyond the pandemic to what is needed to create a fairer, healthier, and environmentally sustainable future."

Global fight against Covid hitting a snag
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Global fight against Covid hitting a snag

"ACCRA, Ghana — Global health advocates, including WHO officials, are concerned that the U.S. and European countries are beginning to ease pandemic guidance and funding — affecting the world’s response against Covid-19. Many Western governments are relaxing public health guidelines such as mask mandates and dropping Covid-19 financing from budgets. But here in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa, officials are still trying to ramp up primary vaccinations. The differing strategies muddle the direction of the global health community’s fight and have led to tensions with leaders who emphasize the virus still poses a threat."

Africa CDC warns COVID-19 vaccine production could cease
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Africa CDC warns COVID-19 vaccine production could cease

"Global inequities in access to COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics have prompted a huge push to expand local manufacture of health technologies in Africa. In March, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that less than 1% of vaccines administered on the continent are manufactured locally, reducing countries’ ability to respond to pandemics and other health crises. A new plan aims to enable Africa to locally manufacture 60% of its vaccine needs by 2040. However, this plan could be undercut by a lack of demand."

Finding Legal and Financial Pathways for Universal Health Coverage Should Be at the Heart of a Pandemic Treaty
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Finding Legal and Financial Pathways for Universal Health Coverage Should Be at the Heart of a Pandemic Treaty

"Discussions about the creation of a new global convention on pandemic preparedness and response have already become a bit like a Christmas tree. Last week’s WHO-convened public hearings, saw a wide array of interest groups trying to attach a number of features to the proposed international pandemic instrument, ranging from stronger accountability and transparency measures in reporting outbreaks to ensuring equitable access to vaccines and treatments – and rapid and transparent pathogen-sharing so that new treatments can be quickly created."

COVAX Tackles ‘Last Mile’ of Getting Vaccines into Arms
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COVAX Tackles ‘Last Mile’ of Getting Vaccines into Arms

"Now that COVAX has enough stock of COVID-19 vaccines, its focus is on vaccination uptake – including encouraging countries to combine campaigns against measles and polio with COVID-19, and even helping with “campaign-style” vaccination drives. This emerged at a media briefing on vaccine delivery called by the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, of which COVAX is the central pillar, on Thursday. Ted Chaiban, head of COVID Vaccine Country Readiness at the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, said that COVID-19 vaccination drives provided an opportunity to strengthen “pre-existing health challenges”, particularly cold chain delivery, health management information systems and training health workers."

Offline: Bill Gates and the fate of WHO
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Offline: Bill Gates and the fate of WHO

"Bill Gates was not shy about his disdain for WHO. Of its staff he said, “If you’re not very good, you’ll stay working there for a long time.” Gates fired his broadside during the London launch of his book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic. The audience laughed. But as someone who has been welcomed into the global health family, there was something cheap and unpleasant about his remark. It diminished him. Gates was there to promote the idea of GERM—a Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization team. It would comprise 3000 full-time epidemiologists and geneticists, vaccine developers and rapid response workers, dedicated to preventing future pandemics. Despite his views about WHO, Gates would still make the agency responsible for GERM, although with a “special personnel system” to attract “the best staff possible”. GERM would be given the authority to declare a pandemic and coordinate the global response. Gates estimates the cost would be US$1 billion annually. With an estimated net worth of $127 billion, he could afford to fund GERM for its first 5 years, bringing in new financing as the initiative proved its value. The next big grant from his Foundation?"

Neue Wege zur Gesundheit in Afrika?
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Neue Wege zur Gesundheit in Afrika?

Auch 18 Monate nach der Zulassung der ersten Impfstoffe sind erst 16% der afrikanischen Bevölkerung vollständig gegen Covid-19 geimpft – was vor allem auf die mangelnde internationale Unterstützung bei der Beschaffung von Impfstoffen zurückzuführen ist. Dennoch haben sich die afrikanischen Regierungen in der Pandemie gut geschlagen. So sind sie auf lokaler Ebene aufgrund vieler Erfahrungen führend in ihrer Reaktion auf pandemiebezogene Herausforderungen und afrikanische Zentren für Seuchenkontrolle haben eine zentrale Rolle bei der Koordinierung einer kontinentalen Pandemiestrategie gespielt. Erfolgversprechend sind auch jüngste Innovationen wie die Partnerschaft der südafrikanischen Regierung mit der WHO und anderen Akteuren zur Herstellung eigener mRNA-Impfstoffe, die einen Ansatz zur Förderung des Gemeinwohls aller Länder auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent verfolgen – anstatt Technologie zu horten, wie das einige Pharmariesen demonstrieren.

WHA stimmt der Aktualisierung der Internationalen Gesundheitsvorschriften (IHR) zur Pandemiebekämpfung zu
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WHA stimmt der Aktualisierung der Internationalen Gesundheitsvorschriften (IHR) zur Pandemiebekämpfung zu

194 Nationen haben an der Weltgesundheitsversammlung (WHA) eine Resolution verabschiedet, die die zweijährige Frist für das Inkrafttreten von Änderungen der Internationalen Gesundheitsvorschriften (IHR) auf nur ein Jahr verkürzt. Die IHR müssen dringend vom "analogen" zum "digitalen" Zeitalter des Informationsaustauschs aktualisiert werden müssen, um sicherzustellen, dass die WHO und ihre Mitgliedstaaten schneller auf globale Gesundheitsrisiken reagieren können. Nach den derzeitigen IHR-Regeln gibt es beispielsweise keine klare Frist, innerhalb derer die Länder vermutete Ausbrüche an die WHO melden müssen oder die WHO diese ihrerseits an die Mitgliedsländer weiterleitet. Bei einem kürzlich aufgetretenen Ausbruch des Polio-Wildvirus in Malawi dauerte es Monate, bis ein Bericht darüber veröffentlicht wurde. Ziel ist es, bis zur 77. Weltgesundheitsversammlung im Jahr 2024 ein Paket von Reformen vorzulegen, das ab Mai 2025 in Kraft treten soll. Parallel zu diesem Prozess sollen die Verhandlungen zu einem globalen Pandemievertrag weitergehen.

'We Are Choosing Death': Byanyima, Stiglitz Slam WTO Inaction on Vaccine Patents
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'We Are Choosing Death': Byanyima, Stiglitz Slam WTO Inaction on Vaccine Patents

"UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima and Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz this week offered a grim assessment of the state of patent waiver talks at the World Trade Organization, warning that sustained obstruction by rich countries has undermined hopes of a final deal and left billions without access to Covid-19 vaccines and treatments. "The drug companies did not want a quick response. The slower the response, the higher their profits." "In a pandemic, sharing technology is life or death, and we are choosing death," Byanyima said at a press conference held less than two weeks before the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference in Geneva on June 12-15, when representatives from WTO member nations will gather to discuss a range of global issues, including massive and persistent vaccine inequities."

Open trade is key to global health security: WTO and World Bank report
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Open trade is key to global health security: WTO and World Bank report

"Open trade in essential medical goods and services is often seen as vital for global health security, both to ensure a steady supply and to reduce costs, but widespread protectionist measures are now a source of growing concern for the World Bank and World Trade Organization. These measures encourage a destructive race to the bottom, worsening what is already “a challenging time for globalization,” warned Mari Pangestu, the managing director of development policy and partnerships at the bank, during an event Friday to launch a World Bank-WTO joint report on “trade cooperation” to strengthen pandemic defenses."

Open letter to Member States on the meaningful participation of civil society and communities in the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB)
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Open letter to Member States on the meaningful participation of civil society and communities in the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB)

"As the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), responsible for drafting and negotiating a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response meet on 6-8 June 2022, 113 organisations and individuals share an open letter to Member States to ensure the full and meaningful participation of civil society and community-led organisations throughout the drafting and negotiation process of the instrument."

WTO Ministerial Conference Extended for Another Day as Pressure Builds for Results
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WTO Ministerial Conference Extended for Another Day as Pressure Builds for Results

"The World Trade Organization (WTO) is extending its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) for a fifth day, buying time for delegates to negotiate some tough deals in five main areas: the pandemic response, COVID-19 vaccines, fishing subsidies, food shortages and agriculture. The long-delayed ministerial conference, which opened on Sunday and was originally planned to close on Wednesday evening, is now scheduled to last until Thursday afternoon as pressure has built for the WTO to show real results from the meeting, the first in five years."

Weshalb die Welt an den globalen Corona-Impfzielen gescheitert ist
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Weshalb die Welt an den globalen Corona-Impfzielen gescheitert ist

"Als sich im Juni 2021 in der britischen Stadt St. Ives die Staats- und Regierungschefs der G-7-Länder trafen, war als Gast auch Tedros Ghebreyesus, Generaldirektor der WHO, eingeladen. Er sagte: «Um die Pandemie wirklich zu beenden, muss es unser Ziel sein, mindestens 70 Prozent der Weltbevölkerung zu impfen, wenn Sie nächstes Jahr in Deutschland wieder zusammenkommen.» Der Satz wurde zum weltweiten Leitgedanken zur Bekämpfung der Pandemie."

Wenn Abstandsregeln keine Chance haben
Minibus-Taxi in Südafrika während der Covid-19-Pandemie. Foto: © Swiss TPH

Wenn Abstandsregeln keine Chance haben

"Forschende der ETH Zürich und des Schweizerischen Tropen- und Public Health-Instituts (Swiss TPH) zeigen mithilfe einer Risikokarte, in welchen Regionen Afrikas fehlende Infrastruktur zu einer schnelleren Ausbreitung von ansteckenden Krankheiten führen kann. Die Corona-​Pandemie hat Menschen rund um den Globus vor Augen geführt, wie wichtig das eigene Verhalten ist, um die Ausbreitung von Krankheiten einzuschränken. Doch ist es überall auf der Welt überhaupt möglich, Abstandsregeln einzuhalten? Dieser Frage sind Forschende der ETH Zürich und des Schweizerischen Tropen-​ und Public Health-​Instituts (Swiss TPH) in einem interdisziplinären Forschungsprojekt am Beispiel von Afrika nachgegangen."

TRIPS Waiver 2.0 at the WTO: Proponents back at the table to push for therapeutics and diagnostics
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TRIPS Waiver 2.0 at the WTO: Proponents back at the table to push for therapeutics and diagnostics

"No matter the optics on the suggested success of the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference last month, the final outcome on the TRIPS Waiver discussions that resulted in a ministerial decision clarifying existing rules in the TRIPS Agreement, is mostly being seen as a blow to the goals of equitable access to medical products. One activist described the MC12 outcome on the TRIPS matter, as “a gut-punch”. And indeed, in the days that followed the ministerial, the supporters of the waiver seemed deflated, but not defeated, after batting for the proposal for 20 months. Barely has the dust settled, the proponents have picked themselves up, ready to push for improving the access to COVID-19 therapeutics and diagnostics. WHO reported a 30% increase in globally reported cases in the past two weeks. While vaccination targets remain unmet, the need for medicines and tests to fight COVID-19 continues to be urgent."

International law reform for One Health notifications
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International law reform for One Health notifications

"Epidemic risk assessment and response relies on rapid information sharing. Using examples from the past decade, we discuss the limitations of the present system for outbreak notifications, which suffers from ambiguous obligations, fragile incentives, and an overly narrow focus on human outbreaks. We examine existing international legal frameworks, and provide clarity on what a successful One Health approach to proposed international law reforms—including a pandemic treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations—would require. In particular, we focus on how a treaty would provide opportunities to simultaneously expand reporting obligations, accelerate the sharing of scientific discoveries, and strengthen existing legal frameworks, all while addressing the most complex issues that global health governance currently faces."

Negotiating a pandemic treaty...
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Negotiating a pandemic treaty...

"At the “second resumed session” of their first meeting, on 6-8 June 2022, the members and the bureau of the “Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” (INB) accomplished an important preliminary step in the drafting and negotiating of a “pandemic treaty”: the compilation of potential fields to be addressed in this new international instrument. (...) The INB has still to deal with the elephant in the room and to decide if it goes for compiling a compendium of non-binding recommendations that member states might consider (this is what is to be expected from a WHA resolution based on Article 23 of the WHO Constitution), or for a new international legal instrument (convention or agreement based on Article 19 ) that, if it is approved by the World Health Assembly, shall be signed and ratified by national governments."

WHO Member States Begin to Define Form and Function of a Pandemic Accord
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WHO Member States Begin to Define Form and Function of a Pandemic Accord

"Geneva is no stranger to contentious discussions in international health policy-making. The current times are also witnessing the conduct of crucial negotiations at breakneck speed. However, speed and time cannot be excuses in the way diplomatic processes are being conducted, Geneva-based health diplomats say. Several countries have not been happy about forcing consensus on several matters in recent weeks on the back of time and resource constraints. (...) In July, member states will discuss whether and to what extent the new rules to govern pandemics will be binding."

Of cultivation and sovereignty…
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Of cultivation and sovereignty…

"Some reflections related to section IV of the “working draft, on the basis of progress achieved, of a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” (INB document A/INB2/3) discussed by the INB on 19 July 2022. As stated various times in yesterday’s INB deliberations, the “Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” (INB) is still very much in a compilation and “cultivation” mode, and not yet properly negotiating."

Who Gets To Sit At The Table in Pandemic Treaty Negotiations? Debate Opens Pandora’s Box of Vested Interests
Foto von Anna Shvets von Pexels

Who Gets To Sit At The Table in Pandemic Treaty Negotiations? Debate Opens Pandora’s Box of Vested Interests

"Should the corporate sector be allowed to engage in negotiations around the new binding instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response that is being developed by World Health Organization member states? This week’s closed-door debate by WHO member states to decide who should get a seat around the table risks opening a Pandora’s box of vested interests. Twenty years ago the WHO Tobacco Convention (FCTC) initiative, the first treaty negotiated at the WHO in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic, set very clear ground rules. Governments included a specific statement that tobacco companies should neither participate in the negotiations of the convention nor in national tobacco policy-setting."

The significance of effective communication in times of COVID-19
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The significance of effective communication in times of COVID-19

"Access to information is a basic human right. In times of crisis, timely and accurate information plays an important role in controlling a situation. Our partners of the AQH project share how effective communication saved lives during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kosovo. In Kosovo, as in many other places worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by another contagious phenomenon, namely disinformation or fake news. Conspiracy theories around COVID-19 vaccines also met interest in Kosovo and the wider Balkan region."

MMI Annual Report 2021
Photo: MMI

MMI Annual Report 2021

"2021 was the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic, a global health crisis that is not yet finished but already provides some lessons in health governance and health cooperation that need to be observed. The major obstacle for achieving the aspiration of “health for all”, for all people, all over the world, is not any disease, not even Covid-19. Inequity remains the major health problem, as we could observe in the unequal access to Covid-19 vaccines, but also in how the pandemic disproportionally affected the lives and livelihood of the poor and marginalized in all countries and all societies. Prevailing social and economic models are not fit for properly dealing with transboundary health emergencies and fail both at the level of national responses and global cooperation and solidarity."

The COVID-19 pandemic: the world's wake-up call to invest in equity and preparedness for sustainable development
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The COVID-19 pandemic: the world's wake-up call to invest in equity and preparedness for sustainable development

"The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how health emergencies can stop sustainable development in its tracks. This crisis has claimed millions of lives and it has wreaked havoc on economies, political parties, global supply chains, businesses, and livelihoods, as well as health, education, and international travel systems. Any doubt that health is a political choice, and a social and economic imperative, has surely been dispelled. (...) The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that science delivers results. Safe and efficacious vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics were developed at breakneck speed with international and public–private scientific collaboration. The challenge has been in making sure these essential products are distributed fairly and equitably."

Modelling the impact of Omicron and emerging variants on SARS-CoV-2 transmission and public health burden
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Modelling the impact of Omicron and emerging variants on SARS-CoV-2 transmission and public health burden

"SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, such as Omicron (B.1.1.529), continue to emerge. Assessing the impact of their potential viral properties on the probability of future transmission dominance and public health burden is fundamental in guiding ongoing COVID-19 control strategies."

In manchen Ländern Afrikas haben Gesundheitsfachkräfte noch nichts von Paxlovid gehört
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In manchen Ländern Afrikas haben Gesundheitsfachkräfte noch nichts von Paxlovid gehört

Paxlovid, ein orales COVID-19-Virenschutzmittel von Pfizer, wird Patient:innen empfohlen, die positiv auf Covid-19 getestet wurden und bei denen das Risiko einer schweren Erkrankung besteht. Im April empfahl die Weltgesundheitsorganisation das Medikament und bezeichnete es als die "bisher beste therapeutische Wahl für Hochrisikopatienten". Doch bis heute haben viele Menschen in den Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen noch immer keinen Zugang zu Paxlovid oder wissen nicht einmal davon. Ali Mokdad, Professor für globale Gesundheit am Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, kritisiert, dass sich derzeit nur Länder mit hohem Einkommen und die Reichen sich das sehr teure Medikament leisten können und fügt hinzu: "Wir sind an einem Punkt angelangt, an dem wir ein Medikament haben, das Leben retten kann, aber es ist für viele Menschen auf diesem Planeten unerreichbar". Unklar ist, was aus den Vereinbarungen geworden ist, die in den vergangenen Monaten von internationalen Hilfsorganisationen mit Pfizer getroffen wurden. Devex hat sich an das Pharmaunternehmen gewandt, aber bis jetzt noch keine Antwort erhalten. Auch die WHO hat kein klares Bild von der Verfügbarkeit des Medikaments und Generikas werden erst Anfang 2023 zur Verfügung stehen.

Photo: © MMI

"Our expectations are high..."

"We appreciate the opportunity provided by the INB, in your preparation of advancing the current working draft of the proposed new international instrument into a conceptual zero draft, to invite relevant stakeholders to submit written inputs or comments. Our input is aligned with our video statement recorded today (available here) in relation to the second round of public INB hearings."

Why addressing inequality must be central to pandemic preparedness
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Why addressing inequality must be central to pandemic preparedness

"The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore long-standing inequities that resulted in certain already-vulnerable groups bearing a disproportionate burden of the disease. The poor have worse health outcomes and access to care, and live and work in inferior conditions, leading to a greater risk of severe illness and death. Establishing how the virus successfully exploited existing disparities is not an easy task given the paucity of income-disaggregated data on testing, infection rates, and mortality due to COVID-19. Nonetheless, experiences in the USA and other high-income contexts have shown that race and ethnicity are markers for elevated risk, and capture systemic deprivations in socioeconomic status, access to healthcare and occupational exposure to the virus."

Die Lancet-Kommission zieht Lehren für die Zukunft aus der COVID-19-Pandemie
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Die Lancet-Kommission zieht Lehren für die Zukunft aus der COVID-19-Pandemie

Der Kommissionsbericht liefert eine umfassende Analyse der Reaktion auf die Pandemie, zeigt die zahlreichen Versäumnisse der internationalen Gemeinschaft auf und gibt eine Reihe von Empfehlungen. Zu den Versäumnissen gehören beispielsweise - das Fehlen einer rechtzeitigen Meldung des ersten Ausbruchs von COVID-19; - kostspielige Verzögerungen bei der Anerkennung des entscheidenden Übertragungswegs des Virus (SARS-CoV-2); - die fehlende Koordinierung zwischen den Ländern in Bezug auf Bekämpfungsstrategien; - das Versäumnis der Regierungen, Beweise zu prüfen und bewährte Verfahren zur Kontrolle der Pandemie und zur Bewältigung wirtschaftlicher und sozialer Auswirkungen in anderen Ländern zu übernehmen - und vieles mehr. Dieser Kommissionsbericht soll zu einer neuen Ära der multilateralen Zusammenarbeit auf der Grundlage starker UN-Institutionen beitragen, um die Gefahren von COVID-19 zu verringern, die nächste Pandemie zu verhindern und um die Welt in die Lage zu versetzen, die vereinbarten Ziele der nachhaltigen Entwicklung zu erreichen, zu deren Verfolgung sich die Regierungen als Mitglieder der UN verpflichtet haben.

“Evidence” & “Time” As Obstacles In The Waiver Route For Drugs And Tests For COVID-19 At The WTO
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“Evidence” & “Time” As Obstacles In The Waiver Route For Drugs And Tests For COVID-19 At The WTO

"As the pandemic continues, it appears Geneva’s institutions are experiencing the Rashomon Effect. Every institution has its truths. In today’s edition we try to look at these competing narratives and the stories they tell. From our limited perspective, it appears that ideology and interests, and not evidence, largely informed and shaped the outcome on the TRIPS waiver discussions over the last two years. It is important to note that evidence, is now important in assessing whether a waiver approach will work for improving the supply and access to tests and treatments."

A Critical Moment for a New Fund for Pandemic Preparedness
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A Critical Moment for a New Fund for Pandemic Preparedness

"Future pandemic threats are imminent—some estimates indicate a 47–57 percent chance of another global pandemic as deadly as COVID-19 in the next 25 years. But threats are not even 25 years off, they are imminent. Global leaders at UNGA underscored the urgency last month, as did high level side events. Yet just in the past weeks, the world is experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of another virus: monkeypox disease. Previously endemic to a few countries in West and Central Africa, the disease has spread to over 100 countries, cases have surpassed 65,000 and the world is struggling to get the outbreak under control."

mRNA Technology is ‘The Answer’ to Sustainable Local Vaccine Production
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mRNA Technology is ‘The Answer’ to Sustainable Local Vaccine Production

"If sustainability of vaccine production is the question, then mRNA technology is the answer, Martin Friede, co-ordinator for vaccine research at the World Health Organization (WHO), told a panel convened by the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute on Monday. “The big advantage of mRNA is that, in theory, you can make many vaccines with that technology – you can make flu vaccines, possibly chicken pox vaccines, herpes zoster vaccines, TB vaccines, possibly even HIV vaccine,” Friede told the panel on the long-term sustainability of local vaccine production, convened in partnership with the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) permanent mission in Geneva."

Gavi Urged to Buy At Least 30% of Vaccines From African Manufacturers
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Gavi Urged to Buy At Least 30% of Vaccines From African Manufacturers

"Global vaccine purchasing mechanisms including Gavi and the United Nations have been urged to purchase a minimum of 30% of their vaccines from African manufacturers, according to a resolution, Call to Action: Africa’s new public health order adopted by African member states on the sidelines of the recent United Nations general assembly (UNGA). The resolution, championed by the African Union Commission and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), argues that vaccine-purchasing mechanisms can stimulate private sector investment in vaccine manufacturing."

Lancet World Report - ACT-A: “The international architecture did not work for us”
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Lancet World Report - ACT-A: “The international architecture did not work for us”

"At a time of desperate uncertainty, the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) was established in April, 2020, just 3 months after WHO declared COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Consisting of ten UN agencies and global health organisations, The World Bank, Wellcome, and the Gates Foundation, ACT-A aimed to develop health products for COVID-19 and to ensure their equitable distribution, while helping health systems with delivery. (...) Based on 101 interviews with key informants, it concluded that the design was “top-down” and several aspects were misconceived. ACT-A afforded too much influence to donors and corporate partners, global targets were not met, and low and middle-income countries (LMICs)—the purported beneficiaries of the scheme—were excluded from conceptualisation. It documents particular dissatisfaction with ACT-A in Africa and Latin America."

A reinvigorated multilateralism in health: lessons and  innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic
Photo: United States Mission Geneva/flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0

A reinvigorated multilateralism in health: lessons and innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic

"The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the shared frailty of societies in the face of common threats. If the world is to respond successfully to future pandemics and other emerging challenges, it will be essential to develop new public health instruments and a framework that redefines the rules of global governance. In many ways, a quantum lift in global health is needed similar to that achieved at the turn of the 21st century. That was a time when new multilateral initiatives with innovative governance and financial arrangements were established (eg, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in 2000, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2002, and adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003), and development assistance for health expanded at an unprecedented rate. However, the circumstances in 2022 are different and therefore call for original solutions. We outline the lessons that must be learned and the innovations that must be adopted to realise that purpose."

Pandemic Treaty ‘Zero-Draft’ Makes a Strong Case for Regional Production
Photo: UNMEER/Martine Perret/flickr.com; CC BY-ND 2.0

Pandemic Treaty ‘Zero-Draft’ Makes a Strong Case for Regional Production

"Regional production of vaccines and other pandemic-related products – and sharing the technical know-how to enable this – features strongly in the much-anticipated first draft of the global pandemic treaty proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO). (...) Intellectual property is the most obvious hot potato. The draft offers four proposals on IP, all of which recognise the negative impact IP protection can have on prices."

Warum finanzielle Gerechtigkeit entscheidend ist, um künftige Pandemien einzudämmen
Foto: © G2H2

Warum finanzielle Gerechtigkeit entscheidend ist, um künftige Pandemien einzudämmen

Im Vorfeld der Veröffentlichung eines ersten Entwurfs für einen künftigen Pandemievertrages durch ein WHO Gremium (INB) machte die Zivilgesellschaft auf die Fallstricke hinsichtlich der Finanzierung eines solchen Instruments zur Pandemieprävention aufmerksam. In dem vom Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2) in Auftrag gegebenen Berichts beleuchten die Expert:innen das unausgesprochene Spannungsverhältnis zwischen der internationalen Finanzarchitektur und den Finanzierungsmodellen für das Gesundheitswesen und warnen vor der Übernahme eines veralteten Finanzierungsmodells, das von kolonialer Wohltätigkeit abhängt. Der Bericht kritisiert desweiteren bisherige Finanzierungslösungen, die viele Länder dazu zwangen, die staatlichen Ausgaben für das nationale Gesundheitswesen zu kürzen und die damit der Kommerzialisierung von Gesundheitsdiensten den Weg ebneten. Dies führte in den meisten Fällen zu einer massiven Verschlechterung der Gesundheitsbedingungen für die grosse Mehrheit der Bevölkerung und nicht zum Ziel, Gesundheit für alle zu schaffen.

Keep Momentum on Pandemic ‘Treaty’, Urges Tedros
Photo: Pan American Health Organization/flickr.com; CC BY 2.0

Keep Momentum on Pandemic ‘Treaty’, Urges Tedros

"Keep the momentum to negotiate a pandemic instrument, urged Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the start of the third meeting of the intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) on Monday. “The conceptual zero-draft that your bureau has developed is a true reflection of the aspirations for a different paradigm for strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery,” said Tedros. “As we move to a new phase of this process, I urge you to maintain momentum.”

WHO-Mitgliedstaaten vereinbaren, bis Anfang 2023 einen Entwurf für ein rechtsverbindliches Pandemie-Abkommen zu erarbeiten
Photo: United States Mission Geneva/U.S. Mission Photo by Eric Bridiers/flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0

WHO-Mitgliedstaaten vereinbaren, bis Anfang 2023 einen Entwurf für ein rechtsverbindliches Pandemie-Abkommen zu erarbeiten

Um künftig besser gegen Pandemien gewappnet zu sein, wollen die Mitgliedsstaaten der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) ab Februar über den Entwurf eines globalen Abkommens verhandeln. Die 194 Mitgliedsstaaten haben sich nach dreitägigen Verhandlungen darauf geeinigt, bis dahin den Entwurf eines solch historischen Rechtsinstruments auszuarbeiten. Während der Diskussionen forderten die Mitgliedstaaten ein Abkommen, das auf Ge-rechtigkeit, Solidarität und Souveränität basiert.

Die unterschiedlichen Interessen der Länder versprechen schwierige Verhandlungen
Photo: United States Mission Geneva/US Mission Photos / Eric Bridiers/flickr.com; CC BY-ND 2.0

Die unterschiedlichen Interessen der Länder versprechen schwierige Verhandlungen

Die dritte Sitzung des zwischenstaatlichen Verhandlungsgremiums der WHO (INB) hat gezeigt, es gibt noch viele Differenzen zu beseitigen. Gesundheitsdiplomaten aus den WHO-Mitgliedstaaten sprachen diese Woche Klartext über die Ziele und Ambitionen ihrer Länder im Hinblick auf ein neues Pandemieabkommen. Wie vorauszusehen war, haben sich geistiges Eigentum, Zugang zu Informationen und Vorteilsausgleich sowie One Health als Brennpunkte herauskristallisiert. Während einige Industrieländer darauf bestanden haben, dass sich das neue Instrument nur auf die Regelung von Pandemien konzentrieren sollte, drängen Länder im globalen Süden auf eine klare Formulierung des Begriffs der "Pandemie". Ein weiterer strittiger Punkt ist das Konzept von „One Health“, für das es nach Ansicht einiger Länder, u. a. aus der Afrikanischen Union und aus Lateinamerika, keine allgemein anerkannte Definition zu geben scheint. Eine Reihe von Ländern, darunter Kanada, Australien, die USA und Japan, äußerten Vorbehalte gegen Formulierungen zur Einschränkung des Schutzes des geistigen Eigentums. Sie befürworteten die Verwendung von Ansätzen zur freiwilligen Lizenzvergabe. Diese Positionen standen in krassem Gegensatz zu denen vieler LMIC, für die die Beseitigung von Hemmnissen für den Schutz des geistigen Eigentums eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für die Verbesserung des Zugangs zu medizinischen Produkten darstellt.

Experten fordern eine verstärkte Zusammenarbeit bei der Gesundheit von Mensch, Tier und Umwelt
Foto: © Swiss TPH

Experten fordern eine verstärkte Zusammenarbeit bei der Gesundheit von Mensch, Tier und Umwelt

"Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat Schwachstellen in den globalen Gesundheitsnetzwerken der Welt aufgezeigt. Ein globaler One-Health-Ansatz ist entscheidend für die Prävention, Überwachung und Bewältigung künftiger Gesundheitskrisen. Zu diesem Schluss kommen die Autoren einer vierteiligen Serie, die gestern in The Lancet veröffentlicht wurde. Das Swiss TPH mit seiner langjährigen Erfahrung im Bereich One Health hat zu dieser Serie beigetragen. In der Lancet-Serie zu One Health und globaler Gesundheitssicherheit fordern die Autoren verstärkte Investitionen in den One Health-Ansatz, insbesondere in Massnahmen zur Prävention und Vorbereitung auf Gesundheitskrisen. Hierfür werden weltweit jährlich Milliarden von US-Dollar benötigt – ein kleiner Bruchteil der Kosten für die Bewältigung der COVID-19-Pandemie. Jakob Zinsstag, Leiter der Einheit Human and Animal Health am Swiss TPH und Hauptautor des ersten Artikels der Serie sagte: «Es gibt klare Belege für die Vorteile in Form von geretteten Menschen- und Tierleben und finanziellen Einsparungen durch eine enge Zusammenarbeit im Bereich der Gesundheit an der Schnittstelle zwischen Mensch, Tier und Umwelt.»

Pandemic Treaty ‘Zero-Draft’ is Out – Proposes WHO Gets 20% of All Pandemic Products to Ensure Equity
Photo: © WHO

Pandemic Treaty ‘Zero-Draft’ is Out – Proposes WHO Gets 20% of All Pandemic Products to Ensure Equity

"The World Health Organization (WHO)’s ‘zero-draft’ of a pandemic treaty proposes that 20% of pandemic-related products – vaccines, diagnostics, personal protective equipment and therapeutics – should be allocated to the global body, which will then ensure their equitable distribution. The draft, which has been seen by Health Policy Watch, was sent to the WHO’s 194 member states this week, officially opening the door for negotiations on how the world should behave in future pandemics."

Ungenutzes Potential für eine bessere Pandemievorbeugung
Photo: US Embassy South Africa/flickr.com; CC BY 2.0

Ungenutzes Potential für eine bessere Pandemievorbeugung

Bislang hat der globale Dialog über die PPR (Pandemic Preparedness and Response) die entscheidende Rolle, die etablierte, krankheitsspezifische Programme bei nationalen und regionalen COVID-19-Maßnahmen gespielt haben, und das Potenzial dieser Programme, in Zukunft zu einer stärkeren PPR beizutragen, weitgehend außer Acht gelassen. Letzte Woche haben wir (Chris Collins et al.) in der Zeitschrift PloS Global Public Health einen Übersichtsartikel veröffentlicht, der viele Schnittpunkte zwischen der HIV-Bekämpfung und den Kernprioritäten einer stärkeren PPR aufzeigt. ​Die Zukunft der "globalen Gesundheit" wird im Laufe dieses Jahres bei den Dialogen der G7, der G20 und bei hochrangigen Treffen der Vereinten Nationen auf dem Tisch liegen. Die politischen Entscheidungsträger sollten vermeiden, neue Silos in der globalen Gesundheit zu bilden und stattdessen in bestehende Programme investieren, die die Gesundheitssysteme bereits inklusiver und widerstandsfähiger machen (darunter Programme des Globalen Fonds, PEPFAR, UNAIDS etc.).

Governing Pandemic Snapshot

Governing Pandemic Snapshot

"Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Governing Pandemics Snapshot, a publication aiming to provide a concise, periodic overview on the state of efforts to strengthen global pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). This first issue looks back at 2022 and forward to 2023, examining three topics that will recur with each issue: negotiations towards a Pandemic Treaty (or instrument), amendment of the International Health Regulations; and Financing of PPR. Each issue will also cover a rotating special topic, and we begin here with Pathogen- and Benefit-Sharing (PBS). More frequent updates are available on our timeline at GoverningPandemics.org. Feedback is welcome at globalhealth@graduateinstitute.ch, and keep an eye out for our next issue in mid-2023."

What the WHO’s new treaty could mean for the next pandemic
Photo: Présidence de la République du Bénin/flickr.com; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

What the WHO’s new treaty could mean for the next pandemic

"The World Health Organization (WHO) last week published a draft of the first legally binding treaty intended to ensure vaccines, drugs and diagnostics are shared more equitably around the world during the next pandemic, avoiding the deep divides seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers say that the document is an ambitious effort to address searing inequities that occurred during the pandemic, but that it doesn’t do enough to force countries to share scarce resources or punish those that don’t comply. “It has more heart and brain than I expected,” says Kelley Lee, scientific co-director at the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society in Burnaby, Canada. “But it still has insufficient teeth and an insufficient spine to ensure that we’ll definitely have a better response next time.“

COVID-19 und die vielen Enthüllungen über gesundheitliche Ungleichheiten
Foto von KOBU Agency auf Unsplash

COVID-19 und die vielen Enthüllungen über gesundheitliche Ungleichheiten

COVID-19 hat das Ausmaß der gesundheitlichen Ungleichheiten innerhalb und zwischen den Nationen weltweit deutlich gemacht. Laut dem Coronavirus-Dashboard der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) wurden bis zum 18. Dezember 2022 etwa 648 Millionen COVID-19-Fälle mit über 6,6 Millionen Todesfällen gemeldet und 13 Milliarden Impfstoffdosen verabreicht... aber wie gleichmäßig waren diese Werte innerhalb und zwischen den Ländern und innerhalb von Bevölkerungsgruppen verteilt? Stehen Daten zur Verfügung, um dies zu überwachen? Diese Sonderausgabe analysiert die Ungleichheiten im Zusammenhang mit COVID-19 und legt den Schwerpunkt auf die Instrumente und Initiativen der WHO. Die Artikel befassen sich mit verschiedenen Themen, die von der Immunisierung bis zu Tests reichen, sowie mit Informationen über Software und Datenbanken, die unsere analytischen Fähigkeiten im Zusammenhang mit der Pandemie und ihren Auswirkungen verbessern sollen. Der Inhalt ist für Forscher und politische Entscheidungsträger von Interesse, die sich mit der Überwachung gesundheitlicher Ungleichheiten, der Reaktion auf und die Vorbereitung auf eine Pandemie sowie mit den sozialen Determinanten der Gesundheit und dem Ziel, niemanden zurückzulassen, befassen.

Fragen der Gleichberechtigung und Finanzierung standen im Vordergrund der Verhandlungen
Foto: UN Photo / Elma Okic/flickr.com; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Fragen der Gleichberechtigung und Finanzierung standen im Vordergrund der Verhandlungen

Dr. Tedros, der WHO-Generaldirektor, der die 4. Sitzung des zwischenstaatlichen Verhandlungsgremiums (INB), eröffnete, betonte die Notwendigkeit eines transparenten Prozesses und der Vermeidung einer erneuten Nord-Süd-Spaltung wie sie schon während der COVID-19 Pandemie zu Ungleichheiten geführt hatte. Trotz dieses Hinweises sorgte das Thema für Unmut und einige der Mitgliedsstaaten äusserten ihre Bedenken im Hinblick auf die Gleichberechtigung der Staaten, welche im vorliegenden Dokument nicht durchgängig berücksichtigt worden sei, so die Kritik. Auch Fragen der Finanzierung und des geistigen Eigentums wurden kontrovers diskutiert. Japan erklärte, es könne nicht Vertragspartei eines Instruments sein das eine finanzielle Verpflichtung in Höhe eines bestimmten Prozentsatzes des BIP vorsieht und sowohl China als auch Russland waren besorgt, dass ein Pandemieabkommen ihre Souveränität untergraben könne.

The Pandemic Treaty, the Pandemic Fund, and the Global Commons: our scepticism
Photo: International Monetary Fund/IMF Photo/Mark Henley/flickr.com; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Pandemic Treaty, the Pandemic Fund, and the Global Commons: our scepticism

"The call to strengthen global health governance against future outbreaks through a binding treaty on pandemics has attracted global attention and opinion. Yet, few of these perspectives have reflected the voices from early career global health professionals in Africa. We share our perspectives on the Pandemic Treaty, and specifically our scepticism on the limitations of the current top-down approach of the treaty, and the need for the treaty to centre equity, transparency and fairness to ensure equitable and effective cooperation in response to global health emergencies. We also highlight the challenges intergovernmental organisations for health faced in coordinating nation states during the COVID-19 crisis and how a Pandemic Treaty would address these challenges. We argue that lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic provide a critical opportunity to strengthen regional institutions in Africa—particularly in a multipolar world with huge disparities in power and resources. However, addressing these challenges and achieving this transformation may not be easy."

Une pandémie révélatrice d’un maldéveloppement généralisé
Photo : CETIM

Une pandémie révélatrice d’un maldéveloppement généralisé

"La pandémie de Covid-19 n’est pas tombée du ciel, elle se situe dans un champ de causalité marqué par le déclin de la biodiversité, la marchandisation de la nature, et l’accès inéquitable aux soins de santé : une crise multidimensionnelle, construite à travers la violence politique et économique depuis le début des années 1970. Ce livre aborde frontalement le système néolibéral en tant que responsable historico-politique des crimes contre les populations précarisées, les peuples colonisés et les écosystèmes. Il questionne le modèle néolibéral post-crise sanitaire présenté comme plus durable, plus humain, plus inclusif et plus vert: ce modèle est-il acceptable pour les mouvements sociaux? Il s’accompagne d’un cahier de revendications recueillies auprès de dizaines de mouvements sociaux sur tous les continents. A paraître en avril 2023."

How covid-19 bolstered an already perverse publishing system
Foto von AbsolutVision auf Unsplash

How covid-19 bolstered an already perverse publishing system

"Eric Rubin had been in charge for only three months. The editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) had come into the role with no previous editorial experience but a career in infectious disease medicine. “Little did I expect my training would be so useful,” he says. (...) Editors felt the pressure of workloads, but also responsibility. Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet, told the New York Times, “We feel very much that we are publishing research that is literally, day by day, guiding the national and global response to this virus. If we make a mistake in judgment about what we publish, that could have a dangerous impact on the course of the pandemic.”

Key COVID Lessons: Nuture Healthworkers and Build Primary Care
Photo: USAID U.S. Agency for International Development/flickr.com; CC BY-NC 2.0

Key COVID Lessons: Nuture Healthworkers and Build Primary Care

"Strong primary health care, nurturing the health workforce and legal flexibility emerged as key COVID-19 lessons at a high-level roundtable at the Fifth Global Forum for Human Resources for Health, which opened on Monday. Chile gave its healthworkers life insurance, more holidays and extra pay during the pandemic, said Chilean health official Dr Raquel Child Goldenberg. “It was really important to have measures to protect health workers. They were stressed, and they had a hard workload,” explained Goldenberg, Director of the Office of International Relations and Cooperation in the Ministry of Health."

New mRNA vaccine hub officially launched in Cape Town
Photo: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/flickr.com; CC BY 2.0

New mRNA vaccine hub officially launched in Cape Town

"The World Health Organization (WHO) officially launched a new mRNA vaccine technology hub in Cape Town on Thursday. The hub aims to provide a complete package of services along the entire vaccine chain, from scientific research to vaccine manufacturing and licensing. The hub is seen as a major boost for science and health infrastructure in Africa and a way to help low- and middle-income countries end their reliance on higher-income countries for vaccine development and shipments."

Updated International Health Regulations More Important Than Pandemic Accord ?
Foto von Manuel auf Unsplash

Updated International Health Regulations More Important Than Pandemic Accord ?

"As the current US Senate is unlikely to ratify a pandemic accord, it might make more sense for World Health Organization (WHO) member states to invest more effort in ensuring that the International Health Regulations (IHR) are adapted to respond to the next pandemic. So suggested Daniel Warner, Assistant Director for International Affairs at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) at an event hosted by the Geneva Graduate Institute’s Global Health Centre."

Health Systems Across the World Show First Signs Of Recovery Since Pandemic
Photo: World Bank Photo Collection/Rama George-Alleyne/World Bank/flickr.com; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Health Systems Across the World Show First Signs Of Recovery Since Pandemic

"Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, health systems across the world are showing signs of recovery from its negative impact, with fewer countries reporting on scaling back delivery of essential health services as compared with 2020-21. Disruptions to the delivery of essential health services had almost halved by the end of 2022 when compared with the same period in 2021."

Ein erster Entwurf des WHO-Pandemieabkommens erfüllt nicht die Erwartungen
Foto: World Intellectual Property Organization/Emmanuel Berrod/flickr.com; CC BY 2.0

Ein erster Entwurf des WHO-Pandemieabkommens erfüllt nicht die Erwartungen

Dieser Artikel nimmt den vorläufigen Text des Pandemieabkommen, das derzeit von den WHO-Mitgliedsstaaten ausgehandelt wird, unter die Lupe und analysiert einige der Schlüsselbestimmungen. Der Text, der den Mitgliedsstaaten an der 76. Weltgesundheitsversammlung vorgelegt wurde, enthält zum einen nur wenige der Vorschläge der WHO-Mitgliedsstaaten und enttäuscht die Länder, die Industrie sowie Aktivist:innen und Wissenschaftler:innen durch schwache Formulierungen, vor allem hinsichtlich der Offenlegung der Verwendung von öffentlichen Geldern und bezüglich des Verzichts auf geistiges Eigentum. Er enthält zwar weitreichendere Bestimmungen über die Zusammenlegung von Technologien und zum Schuldenerlass, aber es ist unklar, ob der Text des Präsidiums in der vorliegenden Fassung die Grundlage für die Verhandlungen zwischen den Ländern bilden wird. Auch gibt es nach wie vor große Vertrauensprobleme zwischen den Ländern, insbesondere in Fragen der Gerechtigkeit. "Wenn die Entwicklungsländer die Gewissheit haben, dass ihre Anliegen fair behandelt werden, werden sie weniger verunsichert sein", so eine zitierte Quelle, die den Prozessen des Präsidiums nahesteht.​

​Nie wieder - bis zum nächsten Mal?
Photo: World Bank Photo Collection/Madagascar - Tests (3)/flickr.com; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

​Nie wieder - bis zum nächsten Mal?

Nach Ansicht vieler Delegierter, die an der Weltgesundheitsversammlung (WHA) teilgenommen haben, schwindet der politische Wille eine erneute Pandemie zu verhindern zusehends und bedroht Initiativen wie die lokale Herstellung von Impfstoffen.​ Die Länder sind mit einer Vielzahl von Problemen nach der Pandemie befasst, insbesondere wirtschaftliche Probleme, sodass der Vorbereitung auf eine nächste Pandemie keine Priorität mehr eingeräumt wird. Sorge bereitet auch, dass viele Politiker:innen nicht auf dem Laufenden sind, was die Verhandlungen über das Pandemieabkommen anbelange, geschweige denn, dass sie sich auf neue Pandemien vorbereiten können. Umso wichtiger ist die an der WHA verabschiedete Resolution zur Stärkung der diagnostischen Testkapazitäten der Länder und die lokale Produktion von diagnostischen Instrumenten, Tests und Impfstoffen in Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen (LMICs). So hat sich die afrikanische Gesundheitbehörde das kühne Ziel gesetzt, bis 2040 60% der benötigten Impfstoffe von afrikanischen Herstellern zu beziehen, eine fast unmögliche Aufgabe ohne massive Investitionen. Die Weltbank schätzt, dass die LMICs in den nächsten 5 Jahren jährlich ca. 30 Milliarden Dollar investiert werden müssen, um sich gegen Pandemien zu wappnen.

Die Vorbereitung auf eine nächste Pandemie erfordert weltweites Engagement
Pexels Foto von cottonbro studio

Die Vorbereitung auf eine nächste Pandemie erfordert weltweites Engagement

Die Pandemie hat die Welt dauerhaft verändert und wir müssen darauf vorbereitet sein, auf einen nächsten Erreger zu reagieren. Der vorliegende Entwurf des WHO-Pandemieabkommens zeigt jedoch, dass wir möglicherweise kurz davor stehen, dass in den letzten drei Jahren Gelernte zu ignorieren und die Chance zu verspielen, unsere Zukunft zu sichern. Wir brauchen einen grundlegenden Wandel in der Art und Weise, wie wir an die Finanzierung herangehen - einen Wandel, der den Entwicklungsländern den steuerlichen Spielraum verschafft, den sie für Gesundheitsinvestitionen so dringend benötigen. Die Pandemievereinbarung muss ein System schaffen, das wesentliche Fortschritte bei unserer Vorbereitung auf die Zukunft ermöglicht und über die herkömmlichen Strukturen der globalen Gesundheitsfinanzierung hinausgeht. Die Vereinbarung muss auf Wissensaustausch, Zugang und Transparenz beruhen.​

Safeguards,  prevention and financial justice  - a must for the pandemic treaty
Photo: © G2H2

Safeguards, prevention and financial justice - a must for the pandemic treaty

"The INB Bureau's new text proposal clearly reflects the delicate weaving work for bringing Member States together on many diverging elements of the negotiation. However, clear safeguards in the treaty concerning the highly problematic role of the corporate sector, as persistently requested by the Geneva Global Health Hub, remain ignored. The WHO Tobacco Convention is the model to follow, yet we see incomprehensible resistance to setting ground rules to protect the governance of the new instrument from commercial influence. Future negotiations must address this. We regret reading a weakened draft in other fields like human rights or access and benefit sharing, as well as insufficient involvement of Civil Society in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response."

Governing Pandemics Snapshot
Foto von engin akyurt auf Unsplash

Governing Pandemics Snapshot

"Welcome to the second issue of the Governing Pandemics Snapshot, a publication aiming to provide a concise, periodic overview on the state of efforts to strengthen global pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). This second issue provides updates on negotiations over the WHO Pandemic Accord and parallel talk on amendments to the International Health Regulations. It reexamines the financing of PPR and raises the question of how the ambitious new commitments envisioned for the WHO Pandemic Accord can be financed, especially considering the decrease in government spending on preparedness and insufficient donor pledges. Finally, it provides insights into the thorny question of how “medical countermeasures” might be handled in either accord, where North-South divides persist. In addition, there are questions about who will call the shots on a new global countermeasures platform – the G7, G20, or WHO?"

Contradictions: The ‘Worst Outcome’ of Pandemic Accord and International Health Regulation Negotiations
Foto von Maksym Kaharlytskyi auf Unsplash

Contradictions: The ‘Worst Outcome’ of Pandemic Accord and International Health Regulation Negotiations

"The worst outcome of the two World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic negotiations currently underway would be the adoption of contradictory definitions and processes, warned Dr Mike Ryan, the head of health emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday. “At the very minimum, the two instruments will need to be very aligned on the definitions they use,” stressed Ryan at a joint meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) negotiating a pandemic accord, and the Working Group on the International Health Regulations (WGIHR), which is amending the globally binding regulations relating to public health emergencies."

Africa CDC criticizes the Pandemic Fund's first grant allocation
Foto von Markus Spiske auf Unsplash

Africa CDC criticizes the Pandemic Fund's first grant allocation

"The Pandemic Fund allocated its first set of 19 grants and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is not pleased with the outcome. Only five African countries will benefit from this funding, representing less than 5% of the continent’s population, the Pan-African public health agency said in a press release Thursday. This includes Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Togo, and Zambia. (...) “Africa CDC remains concerned about the limited impact of this first allocation on pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPPR) in Africa due to its limited size and lack of regional approach,” the agency wrote."

Are The Three Pandemic Negotiations Bringing a Safer World Closer?
Photo: U.S. Mission Geneva/ Eric Bridiers/flickr.com; CC BY-ND 2.0

Are The Three Pandemic Negotiations Bringing a Safer World Closer?

"While July saw a crush of global pandemic-related meetings – some joint and some clashing – to accommodate tight schedules and northern summer holidays, achieving a pandemic-proof world is still a long way off. The two pandemic negotiations underway at the World Health Organization (WHO) have held individual and joint meetings over the past few weeks, with talks dominated by equity, early warnings for pandemics and financing. The Working Group on amendments to the IHR (WGIHR) is strengthening the International Health Regulations (IHR), the only legally binding global rules governing health emergencies. Meanwhile, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) is developing a pandemic accord to address other gaps that emerged during COVID-19 – particularly how to ensure equitable access to vaccines and medicines."

From private incentives to public health need: rethinking research and development for pandemic preparedness
Foto von Belinda Fewings auf Unsplash

From private incentives to public health need: rethinking research and development for pandemic preparedness

"Pandemic preparedness and response have relied primarily on market dynamics to drive development and availability of new health products. Building on calls for transformation, we propose a new value proposition that instead prioritises equity from the research and development (R&D) stage and that strengthens capacity to control outbreaks when and where they occur. Key elements include regional R&D hubs free to adapt well established technology platforms, and independent clinical trials networks working with researchers, regulators, and health authorities to better study questions of comparative benefit and real-world efficacy. Realising these changes requires a shift in emphasis: from pandemic response to outbreak control, from one-size-fits-all economies of scale to R&D and manufacture for local need, from de novo product development to last-mile innovation through adaptation of existing technologies, and from proprietary, competitive R&D to open science and financing for the common good that supports collective management and sharing of technology and know-how."

Wieder eine Chance verspielt?
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Wieder eine Chance verspielt?

Im Vorfeld des UN High-Level-Meeting zur Prävention künftiger Pandemien in diesem Monat in New York, haben die Vereinten Nationen einen mit Spannung erwarteten Entwurf für eine politische Deklaration veröffentlicht. Globalen Gesundheitsexpert:innen zufolge ist der Entwurf jedoch enttäuschend und macht wenig Hoffnung, dass diese UN-Generalversammlung die globale Pandemievorbereitung entscheidend voranbringen wird. Zwar werden zentrale Faktoren erwähnt und die Länder aufgefordert, den Zugang zu Medikamenten, die öffentlich finanzierte Forschung und Entwicklung, geistiges Eigentum und lokale Produktion zu fördern. Finanzierungsziele werden jedoch keine genannt und auch sonst enthält der Entwurf nur vage Formulierungen und wenig konkrete Verpflichtungen, was die Vermutung schürt, dass die UN-Generalversammlung die Verantwortung für die Pandemievorbereitung eher an die WHO delegieren möchte. Deren Verhandlungen für eine Pandemievereinbarung sind zwar in vollem Gange, jedoch besteht die Gefahr, dass der Zeitplan nicht eingehalten werden kann (Verabschiedung an der WHA im Mai 2024) und der WHO-Generaldirektor ist verärgert über die Macht und Einflussnahme der Pharmaindustrie. Kritiker:innen sind alarmiert und fürchten, dass sich die Geschichte wiederholen wird, wenn keine konkreten Massnahmen getroffen werden.

Dissecting South Africa’s COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Contracts & their Global Implications
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Dissecting South Africa’s COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Contracts & their Global Implications

"Efforts by the Cape Town-based public health law group, Health Justice Initiative to push for transparency in the COVID-19 vaccine contracts through a case brought and won against the South African government not only reveals the terms of vaccine procurement contracts and the concerning practices, but also casts a light on the nature and extent of private power in these vastly unequal negotiations at a time a grave public health emergency. This comprehensive story delves into the discrepancies in pricing, stringent confidentiality clauses, constraints on vaccine distribution, and the notable imbalance of liability and sovereignty, brought to light as a result of this milestone judgement. (...) These contracts stand as a stark testament to the disparities in the negotiations of these agreements between pharmaceutical companies and developing countries and raise several ethical and legal questions related to the issue of fairness, equity, solidarity and cooperation during a public health emergency."

High-level forum: Pandemics – no time for neglect
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High-level forum: Pandemics – no time for neglect

"As the acute response to Covid-19 is coming to an end, we observe a drop in public and political attention to pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Multiple other global crises, which also demand attention and put additional stress on public budgets, especially in low and middle income countries, amplify this development. But the next pandemic might be just ahead of us. Scientists forecast a growing risk of future pandemics due to population density, mobility, climate change, and biodiversity loss, making continued efforts for prevention and preparedness ever more important. There is no time for neglect."

UN High Level Meeting Approves ‘Historic’ but Non-Binding Declaration on Pandemic Preparedness and Response
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UN High Level Meeting Approves ‘Historic’ but Non-Binding Declaration on Pandemic Preparedness and Response

"A long-awaited political declaration by United Nations (UN) member states on more effective pandemic preparedness and response was approved at a High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Wednesday – without the anticipated political objections raised by 11 member states including Russia in a letter to the global body earlier in the week. The declaration is a milestone insofar as it signals recognition by the world’s heads of state that pandemic threats are existential threats, much more than simply health emergencies, said Carolyn Reynolds, co-founder of the Pandemic Action Network, which has pushed for a broader approach to pandemic preparedness and response since the onset of the COVID pandemic."

No Pandemic Accord Without Intellectual Property Protection, says German Health Minister
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No Pandemic Accord Without Intellectual Property Protection, says German Health Minister

"Hours before the release of the second draft of the Pandemic Accord on Monday, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told the World Health Summit that a pandemic agreement with “major limitations” on intellectual property (IP) rights protection will “not fly” for Germany and most of its fellow European Union (EU) members. “For countries like Germany and most European countries, it is clear that such an agreement will not fly if there is a major limitation on intellectual property rights,” said Lauterbach. “That is a part of our DNA … we need intellectual property security in order to invest into vaccines, invest into therapeutics, diagnostics, and so forth.”

BioNTech Highlights African Vaccine Partnerships – But is Challenged to Ensure Real Tech Transfer
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BioNTech Highlights African Vaccine Partnerships – But is Challenged to Ensure Real Tech Transfer

"German mRNA vaccine maker BioNTech’s partnerships with vaccine manufacturing facilities in Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa will support the African Union’s ambition to produce 60% of the continent’s vaccine needs by 2040, the company told the World Health Summit. But Ayaode Alakija, former Chief Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria and World Health Summit Ambassador, cautioned that Africa needs “end-to-end manufacturing” not a “cut-and-paste model”.

May 2024 Deadline Conditional on Meeting Demands on Equity: 29 Member States of the Equity Group
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May 2024 Deadline Conditional on Meeting Demands on Equity: 29 Member States of the Equity Group

"To keep up with what is expected to be fast-moving negotiations towards a new Pandemic Agreement, and changes to the International Health Regulations, we are trying to experiment with shorter updates from Geneva, in addition to our signature long-form analyses. We are calling this The Files Brief, to capture key turns in the current negotiations in global health. In this short edition, we bring you a statement by the Equity Group comprising 29 countries pushing for “response” measures during health emergencies."

Increasing Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing Capacity Will Bring ‘Second Independence’ for the Continent
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Increasing Africa’s Vaccine Manufacturing Capacity Will Bring ‘Second Independence’ for the Continent

"LUSAKA, Zambia – Ensuring that Africa can manufacture its own vaccines will represent “the second independence of Africa”, Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said at the start of the Conference for Public Health in Africa 2023 (CPHIA) on Monday. “Many African countries got their independence [from colonisers] in the 1960s, but we saw in COVID that we are not independent,” Kaseya told a media briefing shortly before CPHIA’s opening. “Other continents locked their doors and we were left beyond.” With over 5,000 in-person delegates and an additional 20,000 virtual participants in attendance, Kaseya described CPHIA23 as the largest global public health event outside the annual World Health Assembly."

Bumper Week for Pandemic Negotiations
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Bumper Week for Pandemic Negotiations

"This is a bumper week for pandemic negotiations – the last formal set for the year – with meetings of both the World Health Organization’s (WHO) intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) and the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (WGIHR). (...) The International Health Regulations (IHR) define the processes leading to the declaration by the WHO Director General of a public health emergency of international concern and member states’ responsibilities. They are the only global internally binding obligations related to health emergencies."

Did Some Developed Countries Oust Africa Group’s Key Negotiator, a Forceful Voice on Equity Provisions in INB-IHR Negotiations?
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Did Some Developed Countries Oust Africa Group’s Key Negotiator, a Forceful Voice on Equity Provisions in INB-IHR Negotiations?

"Delegations of a group of developing countries were taken by utter surprise this week, when it became known that one of their top negotiators from the influential Africa Group, has been abruptly asked to pack up and head home in the midst of crucial negotiations in global health. This development is striking given the decisive role played by a prominent Namibian diplomat who has been known for taking strong positions on equity related provisions in on-going global health negotiations to reform the governance of health emergencies. This transpired just as Geneva is gearing up for a crucial week-long meeting where the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on the Pandemic Agreement will meet at WHO during 4-6 December, immediately followed by the Working Group set up to amend the IHR during 7-8 December."

Warum das erste Pandemie-Abkommen der Welt vielleicht nie zustande kommt...
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Warum das erste Pandemie-Abkommen der Welt vielleicht nie zustande kommt...

Das Pandemie-Abkommen, das derzeit über die Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) verhandelt wird, soll die Vorbereitung auf eine globale Gesundheitskrise verbessern und eine Wiederholung der ungleichen Verteilung von Impfstoffen und Medikamenten während der COVID-19-Pandemie verhindern. Seit zwei Jahren verhandeln die Länder über die Regeln, aber es gibt immer noch wenig Fortschritte und Einigung in den meisten Bereichen des Abkommens. Die Verhandlungen stehen unter Zeitdruck, da die Frist im Mai 2024 abläuft, die anstehenden Probleme und die Tatsache, dass nur noch zwei offizielle Verhandlungsrunden stattfinden, sind jedoch alarmierend. Ein weiteres Problem ist die Frage der Gleichberechtigung, die während der COVID-19-Pandemie vernachlässigt wurde. Die Länder im globlen Süden bestehen darauf, dass das Abkommen konkrete Maßnahmen zur Gleichberechtigung beinhalten muss, um sicherzustellen, dass sie fair behandelt werden. Ein zentraler Streitpunkt ist der Mechanismus für den Zugang zu und die Teilhabe an den Vorteilen der gemeinsamen Nutzung von Informationen und Ressourcen.

Nora Kronig, könnte der Pandemiepakt der WHO die Grundlage sein für ein globales Impfzertifikat?
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Nora Kronig, könnte der Pandemiepakt der WHO die Grundlage sein für ein globales Impfzertifikat?

"Soll die Schweiz dem umstrittenen Pandemiepakt der WHO beitreten? Muss das Parlament den Bundesrat bremsen wie zuvor beim Uno-Migrationspakt? Die Schweizer Botschafterin nimmt Stellung."

Pandemic accord: Former heads of state and global health leaders plead for progress
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Pandemic accord: Former heads of state and global health leaders plead for progress

"More than 40 former heads of state and leading global health advocates have urged world leaders not to waste a unique opportunity to save millions of lives as negotiations stall on a new global pandemic accord. In an open letter, published four years after the World Health Organization declared covid-19 a global health emergency, the 40 influential figures warned that the world’s leaders were looking increasingly unlikely to agree on a new, legally binding agreement intended to prevent and prepare for a future pandemic."

EXCLUSIVE: Read Latest Pandemic Agreement Draft Ahead of Monday’s Negotiations
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EXCLUSIVE: Read Latest Pandemic Agreement Draft Ahead of Monday’s Negotiations

"Health Policy Watch has obtained portions of the latest draft of the pandemic agreement that member states will negotiate over at the eighth intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) starting on Monday, 19 February. At the time of publishing, only member states had access to the draft, although a number of civil society organisations recognised as stakeholders have requested a draft from the World Health Organization (WHO) Bureau that is overseeing the negotiations for some time."

Developing Countries Mean Business on Equity Provisions in Pandemic Agreement. Will it Count?
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Developing Countries Mean Business on Equity Provisions in Pandemic Agreement. Will it Count?

"Scores of developing countries pulled their weight in a bid to push for equity provisions in a new Pandemic Agreement at the opening of the latest meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), set up to establish a new Pandemic Agreement. Despite strong intentions, it looks increasingly difficult that objectives to ensure equity in pandemic preparedness and response, will translate into any serious binding obligations, given limited political will and time. WHO member states are meeting for a two-week marathon meeting where they continue to discuss a proposal for a negotiating text put together by the Bureau of the INB, that to an extent reflects some of the deliberations conducted in smaller groups on a number of different key provisions."

Mild Optimism? Countries Keen on Reaching May 2024 Finish Line for WHO’s New Pandemic Instrument, Within A Handful of Negotiating Days
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Mild Optimism? Countries Keen on Reaching May 2024 Finish Line for WHO’s New Pandemic Instrument, Within A Handful of Negotiating Days

"​There is a distinct shift in the mood. Despite continuing divergences on key issues from technology transfer, financing, to access and benefit sharing, some countries are beginning to see a small possibility of concluding negotiations for a new Pandemic Instrument. However, the near-impossibility of reaching consensus on complex, technical matters within such a short time period, looms large in the hallways of the World Health Organization. With the number of remaining formal negotiating days ahead of May 2024 dwindling to single digits, WHO member states, nevertheless, continue to be keen on concluding talks to reach agreement in addition to finalizing amendments to the International Health Regulations. This emerging optimism could suggest two possibilities: a more likely one that could result in a watered-down agreement to meet the deadline, essentially a face-saving exercise; a second scenario - albeit somewhat rose-tinted, is that they would actually be able to put together a reasonable set of commitments that broadly meets the needs of most countries."

The Pandemic Treaty: shameful and unjust
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The Pandemic Treaty: shameful and unjust

"The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which is tasked under WHO with drawing up an international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, will sit for the 9th and final time from March 18–29. In the 2 years since it first met, hundreds of hours and unknown costs have been spent, but the political impetus has died. The convention is now at a critical juncture: the final text for countries to ratify is due to be presented at the World Health Assembly in May. With only limited days of negotiation left and a long way to go to secure a meaningful agreement, it is now or never for a treaty that can make the world a safer place."

Latest pandemic treaty draft text still has 'many weaknesses'
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Latest pandemic treaty draft text still has 'many weaknesses'

"The pandemic agreement negotiations are entering the home stretch, but NGOs and global health observers are still not happy with the latest draft of the agreement. The revised draft, dated March 7, was circulated to partners over the weekend. It comes after a two-week marathon session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, or INB, that ended March 1, and one week ahead of its scheduled final session that starts on March 18, where member states are expected to engage in text-based negotiations for nine days. According to observers and NGOs, the text remains weak on compliance, and text on the hot-button issue of pathogen access and benefit sharing still does not equate to equal benefits for low- and middle-income countries."