Speaking to the fourth meeting of the INB , Senior Policy Advisor, Jaume Vidal, made the following statement:
Thank you Chair,
HAI welcomes the Bureau’s efforts and ambitions in delivering a document that includes many of the suggestions and some of the comments shared in the previous months and weeks. We remain, however, concerned regarding participation and transparency. The fact that most of this week’s discussion will be held in secret sends the wrong message, not only for effective pandemic response negotiation, but also for the future of global health governance.
Synergies being identified and pursued between this and other processes, such as the amendment of the International Health Regulations, are important to ensure coherence and avoid inefficiencies in preparing for the next pandemic.
Further, we have serious reservations on how some topics are being addressed or, rather, discarded in these discussions; most notably the issue of health-oriented IP management as a substantive part of improving access to health technologies and contribute to a robust human rights-based approach that will harness international efforts for the attainment of universal equitable access.
We reiterate our willingness to collaborate and engage with this process, but we are equally ready to denounce and call out any attempt to water down or weaken the text. Consensus cannot trump moral urgency.
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