WHAT IS THE ZERODRAFT OFTHEWHOCA+?

InDecember2021,ataspecialsessionofthe World Health Assembly (WHASS), the WHO’s Member States decided to establish an IntergovernmentalNegotiatingBody(INB)to draftandnegotiateaconvention,agreement, or other international instrument under the Constitution of the WHO to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response(referredtoastheWHOCA+)

InDecember2022,atthethirdmeetingofthe INB, the Conceptual Zero Draft (CZD) of the WHO CA+, including its structure, was considered. It was developed by the Bureau of the INB. The CZD was presented as a bridge between the working draft and the futureZeroDraft(ZD)oftheWHOCA+ Itwas notanofficial/formaldraftoftheWHOCA+

Duringitsthirdmeeting,theINBagreedthat the Bureau, with support from the WHO Secretariat,wouldpreparetheZD,basedon the CZD and input received during the third meetingoftheINB,withlegalprovisions,for consideration by the INB at its fourth meeting, and as a proposed basis for commencing negotiations at the fourth meetingoftheINBinFebruary2023

TheZDisstructuredwithapreamble,vision, andthen8chapters,with38articlesintotal acrossthosechapters Topicscoveredinthe ZD include equity, strengthening and sustaining capacities, coordination, collaboration, and cooperation, and financing for pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery of health systems, in addition to institutional arrangements