ADDIS ABABA – The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Ethiopia is advocating for changes to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) agreements within the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure more inclusive and equitable global health services.
The INB is working to draft a WHO convention on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, with AHF Ethiopia urging for a framework that addresses the needs of all nations, particularly those in the developing world.
To raise awareness, AHF Ethiopia held a half-day workshop, calling for amendments to the INB within WHO to guarantee accessibility and inclusiveness. AHF-Ethiopia Prevention and Advocacy Coordinator, Biniyam Bayou, explained that the INB was established by the World Health Assembly in December 2021 to develop agreements under the WHO’s constitution, aimed at strengthening pandemic response. However, he pointed out that the INB currently lacks sufficient legal structures to protect developing countries, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, where 85% of African nations struggled to vaccinate their populations, highlighting the urgent need for change.
AHF Ethiopia urges African leaders and representatives to push for an equitable agreement, one that ensures fair and timely access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. This includes establishing regional manufacturing hubs and binding commitments on technology transfer across Africa. Biniyam emphasized that Africa’s leaders have a vital opportunity to influence the terms of the WHO’s pandemic agreement, securing health security for the continent.
Health expert Eskedar Alemu also voiced concerns about the INB’s current framework, stating that African nations must prioritize building independent vaccine production and essential health resources. Such steps, she argued, are crucial to reducing dependence on external sources and bolstering resilience against future health crises.
AHF Ethiopia and health advocates across Africa urge strong commitment to equity, technology transfer, and health resource access to build a fairer, more resilient global health system that leaves no nation behind.
BY HAILE DEMEKE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2024
