QNA

Geneva

Minister of Public Health and Vice-President of the World Health Assembly HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari has praised the positive results of the extraordinary meeting of the World Health Assembly related to making decisions regarding the establishment of global process to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

In her speech at the conclusion of the extraordinary meeting of the World Health Assembly on Wednesday, Dr Al Kuwari stressed on the need to take steps to address the shortcomings in the current global structure that were highlighted by Member States in their interventions during the meeting.

She said Qatar played an influential role in this process through its many activities and contributions, and will continue to support the World Health Organization, working teams and the office assigned to this very important task.

The extraordinary meeting concluded with the agreement of Member States to work on a legally binding international treaty on pandemic preparedness and response, under the auspices of the World Health Organization. The new treaty aims to address a number of issues, the most important of which are equity in the provision of vaccines and treatment, emphasizing the importance of a unified approach to health issues, and the need for sustainable financing, as well as establishing mechanisms that allow information related to disease-causing objects, samples and genetic information to be shared internationally.