Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 April 2023
552. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health if he will provide an update on the work of his Department with respect to the WHO International Treaty on Pandemic Preparedness, Response and Recovery (Pandemic Treaty); if his Department supports the treaty; if his Department has made any submissions to the deliberative process of the international treaty; if so, if he will publish same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19152/23]
View answerIreland strongly supports a multilateral approach to global health issues with the WHO in a central leadership role. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the global status quo in terms of pandemic preparedness and response is not acceptable and needs revision.
In December 2021, a special session of the World Health Assembly established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organisation to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
To date the INB has met five times, most recently from 3-6 April where an initial discussion of the “zero draft” of the Pandemic Agreement was completed and next steps were discussed. A progress report on the negotiations will be delivered to the 76th World Health Assembly at end May 2023. The text of this progress report is currently being prepared by the bureau of the INB.
The EU is a leading proponent of this process and Ireland, along with a majority of EU Member States, is part of the Group of Friends of the Treaty. It should be noted that while certain health matters are within the competency of EU Member States, other health matters are within the competency of the EU itself.
Officials in my Department, working with Ireland's Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva, are engaging, and will continue to engage with, other Government Departments, the EU negotiator, and the INB bureau in this process. The Department has not made any formal submissions to the INB on behalf of Ireland but has commented on the text suggestions and amendments proposed by the EU negotiator as part of the EU coordination process run by the EU delegation in Geneva. As these inputs are part of the ongoing deliberative process it is not considered appropriate to publish them.
