President Joe Biden’s envoy to World Health Organization (W.H.O.) negotiations on the creation of an international agreement on pandemics, Pamela Hamamoto, assured the global body in remarks on Monday that, under Biden, America “is committed to the Pandemic Accord” and hopes it will govern such emergencies “for generations to come.”
The “Pandemic Accord” is a draft international legislation meant to streamline the response to any future pandemics, defined as events in which the entire world experiences the rapid spread of disease, jeopardizing health institutions and causing widespread illness and death. The parties working on the draft – member countries of the W.H.O.’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) – have not agreed on the contents of the agreement and are currently holding a meeting to discuss the first rough draft that exists, scheduled to take place from Monday through Friday.
