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<span style="margin:0px"><b><span style="margin:0px;font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Press Release</span></b></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px"><b><span style="margin:0px;font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Civil Society Report Raises Concerns About Proposed WHO Pandemic Treaty</span></b></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px"><b><i><span style="margin:0px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">* Current International Health Regulations shouldn't be ignored*</span></i></b></span><span style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"> </span><span style="margin:0px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></i></span></p>
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<span style="margin:0px"><i><span style="margin:0px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">*</span><span style="margin:0px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><b>Focus should remain on tackling COVID-19 pandemic*</b></span></i></span><i><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></i></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">30 November, 2021</span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Geneva, Switzerland</span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Civil society organizations have raised concerns on the rush to negotiate
the proposed pandemic treaty at the World Health Assembly Special Session (WHASS), which </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><a href="https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHASSA2/SSA2_CONF1-en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px">began
yesterday</span></a><span style="margin:0px;text-decoration:underline">,</span><span style="margin:0px"> as the world is going through multiple waves of COVID-19 pandemic. A </span></span><a href="https://g2h2.org/posts/24-november-2021/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">report
released</span></a><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"> ahead
of the WHASS by Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2), an independent
platform of civil society organizations committed to advancing
the right to health, unpacks the geopolitical complexities behind the
treaty proposal and the drivers of this diplomatic initiative.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">The research report titled </span></span><a href="https://g2h2.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/G2H2-Politics-of-a-WHO-Pandemic-Treaty-Conference-version.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">‘</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">The
Politics of a WHO Pandemic Treaty in a Disenchanted World</span></a><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">’
includes interviews with 23 international policymakers, health
diplomats, civil
society actors, academic representatives and public health
professionals from across the globe. According to the
report’s co-researcher Priti Patnaik, Founding Editor, Geneva Health
Files, “This report gives voice, nuance and context to the concerns
raised
by many developing countries around the diplomatic process and
motivations of negotiating new rules for future health emergencies.” </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Patnaik
added that by showcasing perspectives from a range of experts and
diplomats, both from the global North and the South, the research
presents a careful and complex picture on countries’ views on the
ongoing discussions for a new pandemic treaty as well as analyzes the
different narratives and triggers that envelope the promotion
of the demarche pushed forward at the WHO.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">While<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">civil
society organizations have traditionally advocated for the need of
binding norms in the global health domain because the right to health
shouldn’t hinge on voluntary arrangements only, the<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">original
motivation behind the treaty</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"> </span>and the hurried nature of the</span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px">negotiations
need to be questioned.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Nicoletta Dentico, Head of Global Health Justice Program, </span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Society
for International Development (SID) and G2H2 co-chair said, “</span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The
treaty discussion is full of good intentions, but lacks evidence. The
mechanics of the current treaty proposal
have been enacted at full speed without a serious assessment of the
reasons why the implementation of the current binding arrangement on
health emergencies – the 2005 International Health Regulations - have
been so broadly neglected and disregarded by all
countries in the world. What’s the real advantage of starting a
negotiation on the same topic again?”</span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">The
report also highlights that this a pandemic of “inequalities and
inequities” between
and within countries and genders. WHO needs to recognize the new
organizing principles that COVID-19 has brought into the health domain
in the context of managing the emergency, namely health and social
justice, planetary boundaries and the need for encompassing
racial, gender and digital justice.</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> <span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Research
respondents from the global South expressed the<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">need for immediate concrete action in dealing with the current pandemic and related inequities,
including access to countermeasures like vaccines.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">With
the announcement of the new Omicron variant and the prevailing vaccine
apartheid, Dentico questioned, “How can treaty proponents like the EU
justify their frenzy at the WHO, in the name of saving multilateralism,
while at the World Trade Organization (WTO) they paralyze
multilateralism and health equity by blocking the proposal
to suspend the intellectual property rights during the pandemic tabled
by India and South Africa?”.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">She
added if the world aims to address pandemic preparedness and response it must focus on issues like<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">the
proprietary knowledge economy based
on monopoly rights because these issues prevent access to science,
which is developed with massive public funding and should be used for
public good.</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">There
is a push for influential private actors to become a permanent part
of future pandemic responses as hinted by several respondents in the
report. It emphasizes the risk of institutionalizing these actors in the
WHO through a binding treaty, a move that can come as a major blow to
the global health governance.</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">There is evidence that a pandemic treaty would not make a difference or that countries would act any
different according to<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Remco van de Pas, Institute for Tropical Medicine Antwerp and co-researcher of the report.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px">“There
are often lofty cosmopolitan goals on pandemic governance but the last
decades have shown that richer countries will go their own way in
implementing it, despite what they have agreed upon with WHO. It is
hence understandable that lower and middle-income countries
are taking a cautious and skeptical approach to the treaty proposal”,
he added.</span></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Many low- and middle-income countries are already struggling with the reality
of<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">fragile
or non-existent public healthcare systems often connected to service
repayment of their burgeoning debt. Cancelling this debt<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px">to
creditor countries, mostly the ones proposing the pandemic treaty,</span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span>would enable investments in pandemic preparedness and response instead
of reliance on private players.</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">The report clearly identifies that despite apprehension<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">the
proponents of the treaty have clearly managed to drum up support for the idea in these initial stages.<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As
discussions on the treaty go ahead with
the power imbalance in decision-making further exacerbated by the
inevitable practice of online diplomacy it is important to note that<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">according
to several experts interviewed for the report, developing a strong and
resilient public health systems should be the high priority on the WHO
agenda and for the international health community.</span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><b><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Additional Resources</span></b></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/PEkoz9fveQYl2Ax-anHmzzC_NOd8jokNQO96hzsSpjUle-GgI1Bpvhjo_9SpYjxd-dt3pCq-i6uDFh30.L5LPs0nMCFH0-g55?startTime=1637756717000&_x_zm_rtaid=MWsS1D9SRB6OrHCO1X6Iqg.1638198771387.158e7aeb1e7a1a112ec665339da43ef1&_x_zm_rhtaid=78" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Launch
event video</span></a><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><a href="https://g2h2.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Geneva-slides-final.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Presentation
of findings</span></a><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><b><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">About Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2)</span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></b></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The
Geneva Global Health Hub is a membership-based association created in
Geneva in 2016 to provide a space and
enable civil society to meet, share knowledge and create initiatives to
advocate for more democratic global health governance. The values that
guide and drive its work are belief in democracy with equity in
diversity; dignity; accountability and transparency;
and ethics and justice. Website:<span style="margin:0px"> </span></span><a href="https://g2h2.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">g2h2.org</span></a><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span>Twitter:
@</span><a href="https://twitter.com/G2H2_Geneva" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">G2H2_Geneva</span></a><span style="margin:0px"><b><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></b></span></p>
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<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><b><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">For media enquiries please contact</span></b></span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> </span></span></p>
<p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">Neha Gupta, </span></span><a href="mailto:nehag@sidint.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin:0px" target="_blank"><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif" lang="en-US">nehag@sidint.org</span></span></a><span style="margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"> <br></span></span></p><p style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0px"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif"><span style="margin:0px"><br></span></span></p></span></div></div>