By Haruna Gimba
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus has requested support from G7 health ministers to meet immunization targets by the end of the year.
In his remarks at the G7 health ministers meeting in Oxford, Ghebreyesus called on ministers to show leadership to strengthen the WHO on sustainable financing.
“First, we ask for your support in reaching our immunization goals for September and year-end; dose sharing with COVAX is now essential to achieve these goals.
“We need 250 million doses by September and we need 100 million doses just in June and July.
“As a G7 country, you are in a unique position to pool doses and make it happen; second, we ask for your leadership in strengthening WHO, including through sustainable and predictable funding;
“Thirdly, we ask for your support for an international treaty or agreement aimed at improving sharing and mutual accountability in order to meet the challenges we face now,” he said.
The director general ensured WHO’s continued commitment to work with ministers and all nations to achieve the vision of a healthier, more secure, more just and more sustainable future.
He said addressing the mismatch between WHO’s expectations and resources and getting the job done was a key issue.
“The challenges we face are deeper, just like the solutions we design must be. That is why the recommendation that I think will contribute the most to strengthening both WHO and global health security is the recommendation for a treaty on pandemic preparedness and response.
“As you know, member states at the World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a resolution last week agreeing to hold a special session of the Assembly in November. AMS adopted a resolution providing for a session in November to consider the development of a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response,” he declared.
He said holding a WHO convention on pandemic preparedness and response was an idea whose time had come.
“We need generational engagement that survives budget cycles, election cycles and media cycles.
“A commitment that creates a global framework for governance, funding systems and tools, needed to build a safer world, based on a One Health approach, through close collaboration with tripartite-plus partners.
“A treaty would promote improved sharing, trust and accountability, and provide a solid foundation on which to build other mechanisms for global health security.
He therefore thanked the G7 countries which expressed their support for the idea of a treaty.
The G7 countries are a group of the seven largest advanced economies in the world, namely: United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan and the United States.
