UNITED NATIONS, Sep 21 : UN Member States Wednesday pledged to prevent a repeat of the devastating health and socio-economic crises caused by COVID-19 and shore up the world\u2019s ability to head off another pandemic. Adopting a milestone political declaration at the first-ever summit on pandemic prevention and response, nations also committed to getting back on track to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). \u201c[This] is a historic milestone in the urgent drive to make all people of the world safer, and better protected from the devastating impacts of pandemics,\u201d Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), a Geneva-based UN agency, said in a statement. \u201cI welcome this commitment by world leaders to provide the political support and direction needed so that WHO, governments, and all involved can protect people\u2019s health and take concrete steps towards investing in local capacities, ensuring equity, and supporting the global emergency health architecture that the world needs.\u201d Pakistan\u2019s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq was among the world leaders who addressed the summit. In his speech, he urged the international community to ensure better preparedness through legally binding obligations for building resilience against future pandemics. Wednesday\u2019s declaration was the result of months of intense negotiations to refine and agree on actions at the national, regional, and global levels. It will be submitted to the General Assembly in due course for formal endorsement. The political declaration asserts the need for Member States to conclude negotiations on a formal agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, known also as the Pandemic Accord \u2013 and make targeted amendments to International Health Regulations \u2013 by May next year. It also calls on States to address the negative physical and mental health impacts of health-related misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and stigmatization, especially on social media platforms. Instead, it calls for public information campaigns based on science and the facts. Member States are also committed to strengthening health workforces and rapid response capacities, surveillance, and local manufacturing abilities, so countries can meet their own needs to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics. Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres recalled that the global response to COVID-19 showcased both human ingenuity and exposed society\u2019s shortcomings. While rapid test and vaccine development were notable achievements, there were also a lack of preparedness, disproportionate impacts on the world\u2019s poorest and vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations. \u201cWe must not repeat the mistakes of the past when the next pandemic strikes \u2013 as we know it will \u2013 and other health threats emerge,\u201d he said. Reiterating the importance of the declaration, the UN chief urged countries to support the WHO, including increasing their financial contributions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Sep 21 : UN Member States Wednesday pledged to prevent a repeat of the devastating health and socio-economic crises caused by COVID-19 and shore up the world\u2019s ability to head off another pandemic. Adopting a milestone political declaration at the first-ever summit on pandemic prevention and response, nations also committed to getting back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[785],"class_list":{"0":"post-357366","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-who"},"yoast_head":"\n