Ahead of the next WHO meeting to negotiate their Pandemic Agreement on July 16 and 17, FVE Officers Wiebke Jansen, Catarina Santiago and Intern Marina Maric joint on 27th June an engaging Women@LifeSciences panel debate about the way forward in the WHO Pandemic Agreement negotiations. It became clear that a One Health approach is the ultimate tool for preventing pandemics and bridge builders, cross-regional alliances and an inclusive process is needed, where stakeholders are allowed to actively engage.
WHO Member States are expected to build upon the provisional approved text, focus on text for which there was initial convergence, and “other outstanding matters” (e.g. One Health!). They will also discuss greater stakeholder participation, including circulating text to stakeholders after meetings, formal sessions to provide input and observation of closed sessions. FVEs Veterinary Public Health/Sustainability Working Group reviews in the meantime their draft position on ‘The contribution of the veterinary profession to pandemic preparedness’ to support these negotiations. Stay tuned!