“Seek, and ye shall find” - I am not sure this sermon holds true in global health negotiations.
During this week’s discussions on amending the International Health Regulations, developing countries tried relentlessly to keep the equity agenda on the table of the working group. They may have succeeded for now.
The second part of this sermon: “knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened…” (As an agnostic, I am skeptical about this.)
We will be tracking the end-game of these negotiations, to keep our readers up to speed.
IHR revisions are likely to be staid and narrow, developed countries do not have a lot of appetite for what they argue as expanding the scope of these rules.
Also, it is striking how crucial a role interpretation plays in reading “old texts”!