As an interim step to a first draft of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Treaty, a new text has recently been released that was intended to reflect proposals that countries had submitted and to serve as a framework for the deliberations of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB)[1] at its meeting from 12 to 16 June 2023. While the updated text mentions equity as a principle and recognises the importance of ensuring fair access to pandemic-related health products, medicines and technologies, it fails to clearly set out the set of legal obligations required to achieve this objective, and many of the options put forward are geared towards maintaining the status quo rather than progressing towards a new paradigm. Chapter II deals with the articles most directly related to equitable access.
Salud por Derecho would like to draw attention to the following areas that need to be improved in the text: