Health Minister Mark Butler warned that a new pandemic could progress in the future.
Australia supports the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Pandemic Agreement as the US was no show in Congress.
The Australian minister said the WHO contract would support “collective action” to address the threat of the pandemic, taking into account “learnings learned during the Covid-19 pandemic.” This includes increased disease surveillance and access to vaccines.
Health Ministers Mark Butler and Foreign Minister Penny Wong both called the adoption of the WHO agreement a “critical step” towards preparing and responding to the future pandemic.
Wong said international health cooperation is needed to keep Australia and the world safe.
“The next pandemic will be held responsible for when, not when there is a collective responsibility to protect public health in all of our countries. Adopting the WHO Pandemic Agreement is an important step,” Butler said.
Related Stories
The move has now made the US government choose not to participate in the WHO’s first international agreement and not be bound in the event of a future pandemic.
Australia’s liberal senator Alex Antic is concerned that the pandemic agreement will move decisions from local governments to “unexplainable globalist bureaucrats.”
In an email to supporters on May 23, Anti expressed concern about the impact of the agreement on decisions made by sovereign states during the health emergency and called on Australia to withdraw from the WHO.
“This is especially concerning given that the preamble to the pandemic agreement advocates for acknowledging the importance of increasing threats such as climate change and public health implications. If a “climate emergency” is declared, whose recommendations will simply be followed? ” he said.
“IF Australia is to remain the author of its own future and we must withdraw from whom. ”
“When the agreement comes into effect, Australia and our region will be better positioned to reduce pandemic risk, respond quickly to a pandemic, save lives and reduce the impact on the economy,” Butler said.
The federal government said Australia will only begin the “treaty creation process” after the signing agreement is opened from mid-2026.
What are the WHO Pandemic Agreements?
The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted with 124 countries, zero objections and 11 countries’ approval.
A key feature of the pandemic agreement is the WHO Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System (PABS).
If a new virus or pathogen with a “potential pandemic” appears, countries that are part of this pandemic agreement are required to share genetic sequence data with WHO. It aims to develop rapid development of therapeutics and vaccines.
Additionally, pharmaceutical companies will need to provide 20% of the vaccines they developed using this data during the future pandemic. This included 10%, 10% sold at low prices, which were donated to WHO for distribution to poor countries.
“Each participating manufacturer shall make it available to WHO in accordance with a legally binding agreement signed with the WHO and promptly access targeting 20% of the real-time production of safe, quality and effective vaccines, treatments and diagnoses of pathogens that cause potential emergencies,” the agreement states.
The contract states that the WHO has no authority to impose lockdowns, travel bans or vaccine mandates.
The parties to the agreement also state that they are aware of “an increasing threats such as climate change, poverty and hunger, vulnerable and vulnerable settings, weak primary health care, and spreading antibacterial resistance.”
