Countries are back at the negotiating table to hash out the details on the way forward for the pandemic treaty and to finalize amendments to the International Health Regulations, after failing to reach a consensus on either draft last week.
The World Health Assembly, the ultimate decision-making body of the World Health Organization, agreed on Tuesday to create one drafting group to handle both sets of negotiations. It’s expected that the outcome will be presented before the WHA this Friday.
But there’s a lot of uncertainty where that will lead. Countries are divided on how to proceed with treaty negotiations when they resume, and how long to extend them. Some countries, such as the United States, want to extend the timeline to at least one year, while African countries want to conclude the negotiations in a special session of the WHA before the end of 2024.