MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina not endorsing WHO's Pandemic Treaty

In Argentina, decisions are made by the Argentines,” Adorni stressed

Argentina will not endorse the World Health Organization (WHO) sponsored Pandemic Treaty, Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced Monday.

 “This decision was communicated at the World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland, where authorities from the National Ministry of Health and the Argentine Foreign Ministry made it clear that our country will not sign any pandemic agreement that could affect national sovereignty. In Argentina, decisions are made by the Argentines,” Adorni stressed.

“We do not have to adhere to any suggestion from a group of countries. We will make our own decisions in the face of an event that may never happen, such as the existence of a pandemic,” he added.

The WHO had been drafting a so-called “Pandemic Treaty” to be approved in late May but failed to garner enough support. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pointed out at the 77th World Health Assembly began in Geneva that “our Member States are fully aware of how important the pandemic agreement is to protect future generations from the suffering inflicted on us by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

After the unsuccessful attempt, the WHO implemented ”a set of key amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) and made a concrete commitment to complete negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year.“

The Pandemic Treaty, officially known as the ”Convention, Agreement or other International Instrument on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response,” provides for the strengthening of public health systems, international cooperation, and funding for essential infrastructure. It also highlights the importance of research and development of medical technologies, and a more transparent and equitable management of global resources while granting the WHO extraordinary administrative powers inside countries going through a pandemic.

Argentina's representative to the Geneva gathering Silvia Prieri expressed Argentina's concern about amending the IHR of 2005 and recalled that whenever a change was to be introduced all signatory countries should be informed of the proposed amendments at least four months in advance.