U.S. health secretary sees pandemic treaty deal as close
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[May 29, 2024]
GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.S. health official said on Wednesday
it would be "tragic" for the world to miss out on key reforms to the
global pandemic response and that a treaty deal was within reach, with
no major differences between negotiators.
Health officials are meeting in Geneva this week to try to wrap up more
than two years of negotiations on a pandemic treaty and a series of
updates to existing International Health Rules (IHR). However, countries
have failed to finalise the treaty at this assembly and countries are
considering an extension.
"I believe we are going to get this done because it would be tragic,
especially given how far we’ve come, to not get it done," U.S. Health
and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters on the
sidelines of the World Health Assembly.
"Something is going to broadside us. We just have to be ready and we
know what it takes to be ready," he said, referring to future disease
outbreaks.
While around 80% of the content of the pandemic agreement is agreed,
controversial topics include financing and a system for sharing drugs
and vaccines, with African countries pushing hard for measures to
counter what they see as COVID-era hoarding.
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![](../images/052924PIX/health16.jpg)
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks
during a visit to a pharmacy in Washington, U.S., January 12, 2023.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/May/29/images/ads/current/peasleymemorials_lda_2022.png) However, Becerra played down the
differences.
"I don’t think there's today substantive disagreement about the
essential elements – it's more how they are packaged, how they are
defined," he said.
Asked whether the United States had done enough to ensure the future
system would be fair, he said: "There's no one that's put more on
the table than the United States to get a deal. Does that meet the
definition of equity? I'm not sure but I know we’re giving."
A U.S. delegate previously said that the IHR regulation reforms
should be finalized this week and that Washington supports a one- to
two-year extension of the treaty talks.
(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by David Holmes)
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