African Leaders Warn Against ‘Weak’ WHO Pandemic Deal, Demand Binding Equity Before Signing
By Irene African civil society leaders have issued a strong warning to governments across the continent, urging them not to sign the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex under the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement unless it guarantees legally binding and enforceable benefit-sharing. Speaking at a high-level press conference in Nairobi, just days before critical negotiations resume in Geneva, key health advocates said Africa risks locking itself into a system that entrenches the very inequities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The leaders, including Aggrey Aluso of the Resilience Action Network Africa, Dr. Samuel Kinyanjui of AIDS Healthcare Foundation Kenya, Dan Owala of the People’s Health Movement Kenya, and Willis Omondi of Mind To Heart Community-Based Organisation, called on African governments to adopt a firmer negotiating stance ahead of the resumed Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG6) meeting scheduled for April 27. ...