Summarised by Centrist
The UK Government is drawing close to signing a treaty with the World Health Organization which may require it to hand over 20 percent of its vaccines during future pandemics.
The WHO Pandemic Treaty, endorsed by former PM Boris Johnson in 2021, is ostensibly to “enhance international co-operation to improve alert systems, data-sharing, research and distribution of vaccines.”
The final draft of the treaty – to be signed this month – says signatory countries must grant, during a pandemic, “Real-time access by WHO to 20 per cent (10 percent as a donation and 10 percent at affordable prices to WHO) of the production of safe, efficacious and effective pandemic-related health products.”
Concerns the UK was handing control over pandemic policy to unelected health officials in foreign countries saw a 156,086-strong petition given to Parliament in 2022, but failed to stop the Rishi Sunak government moving towards signing the treaty in May 2024.
The treaty states that parties should “set aside a portion of its total procurement of relevant diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines in a timely manner for use in countries facing challenges… and avoid having national stockpiles of pandemic-related health products”.
