In a statement to a joint Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB)/International Health Regulations (IHR) plenary session as part of INB6, Senior Policy Advisor, Jaume Vidal, said:
Thank you Chair,
HAI appreciates the opportunity to address this joint plenary session and welcomes the convergence through the topics of common interest, between two critical processes for an effective, equitable and health-oriented pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.
In relation to the INB, and regardless of the daunting task ahead for the chair and negotiators, we feel the need to call attention, once again, to the lack of inclusion and effective participation of public interest driven entities. In addition, we support the concern expressed by many delegations regarding the conduct of opaque parallel, informal meetings on specific articles.
We endorse the addition of a sub-paragraph on the need for diversification of production, but we are disappointed that other key issues that would make a real-word difference, like the exclusion of health protection measures from retaliatory measures in investment protection schemes, are not included in the text…yet.
Regarding the amendment of the International Heath Regulations, and ahead of the upcoming session, we encourage member states to focus on the access and benefit sharing articles to ensure that the next pandemic is met with an equitable response. We endorse the demands expressed by the African group to ensure that activities by private actors, including patent holders, do not interfere in the enjoyment of the right to health.
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July 2023