The working group negotiating amendments to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (WGIHR) has extended its seventh meeting, which was supposed to end last Friday, to include a special session on equity.
The resumed WGIHR 7 will be held within the first two weeks of March, finally acceding to member state’s requests – including from the Africa Group and the large alliance of countries known as the Equity Group – to give adequate attention to equity.
Unequal access to vaccines and other medical products during the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the triggers for the reform of the IHR, which are the rules setting out countries’ roles and responsibilities, and those of the WHO, during public health emergencies of international concern.
The resumed meeting will pay special attention to a new Article 13A, which addresses the availability and affordability of health products, technologies and know-how, according to a year-old summary of the IHR negotiation text, which is the most recent public version of the negotiating text.