Navigating Hurdles: A Review of the Obstacles Facing the Development of the Pandemic Treaty

doi:10.1007/s44197-024-00233-5

Review

. 2024 Sep;14(3):580-585.

doi: 10.1007/s44197-024-00233-5. Epub 2024 Apr 29.

Navigating Hurdles: A Review of the Obstacles Facing the Development of the Pandemic Treaty

Haytham A Sheerah¹, Shouq M Alzaaqi^{2

3}, Ahmed Arafa^{4

5}, Shada AlSalamah⁶, Nelly G Muriungi⁷, Barbara Fialho C Sampaio^{8

9}, Jasper Tromp^{10

11}, Keyang Liu¹², Kokoro Shirai¹², Mellissa Withers¹³, Ahmed Al-Jedai^{14

15}

Affiliations

¹ Office of the Vice Minister of Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. hasheerah@moh.gov.sa.
² Immunology Research Program, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Preventive Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan.
⁵ Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
⁶ Information Systems Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
⁸ Pathology Department, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁹ InCor, Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹⁰ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore & National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
¹¹ Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
¹² Department of Social Medicine, Public Health, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
¹³ Department of Population and Health Sciences, Institute for Global Health, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
¹⁴ Therapeutic Affairs, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 38683485
PMCID: PMC11442950
DOI: 10.1007/s44197-024-00233-5

Review

Navigating Hurdles: A Review of the Obstacles Facing the Development of the Pandemic Treaty

Haytham A Sheerah et al. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2024 Sep.

. 2024 Sep;14(3):580-585.

doi: 10.1007/s44197-024-00233-5. Epub 2024 Apr 29.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Office of the Vice Minister of Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. hasheerah@moh.gov.sa.
² Immunology Research Program, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
³ King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Preventive Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan.
⁵ Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
⁶ Information Systems Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
⁸ Pathology Department, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁹ InCor, Hospital das Clinicas, School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
¹⁰ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore & National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore.
¹¹ Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
¹² Department of Social Medicine, Public Health, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
¹³ Department of Population and Health Sciences, Institute for Global Health, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
¹⁴ Therapeutic Affairs, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

PMID: 38683485
PMCID: PMC11442950
DOI: 10.1007/s44197-024-00233-5

Abstract

Introduction: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has served as a call for enhanced global cooperation and a more robust pandemic preparedness and response framework. As a result of this pressing demand, dialogues were initiated to establish a pandemic treaty designed to foster a synchronized global strategy for addressing forthcoming health emergencies. In this review, we discussed the main obstacles to this treaty.

Results: Among several challenges facing the pandemic treaty, we highlighted (1) global cooperation and political will, (2) equity in access to resources and treatments, (3) sustainable financing, (4) compliance and enforcement mechanisms, (5) sovereignty concerns, and (6) data sharing and transparency.

Conclusion: Navigating the hurdles facing the development of the pandemic treaty requires concerted efforts, diplomatic finesse, and a shared commitment to global solidarity. Addressing challenges in global cooperation, equitable access, transparency, compliance, financing, and sovereignty is essential for forging a comprehensive and effective framework for pandemic preparedness and response on the global stage.

Keywords: COVID-19; Global health; Healthcare; Pandemic treaty; Public health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Cited by

Normative convergence between global health security and universal health coverage: a qualitative analysis of international health negotiations in the wake of COVID-19.
Lal A, Wenham C, Parkhurst J. Lal A, et al. Global Health. 2025 Feb 24;21(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s12992-025-01099-3. Global Health. 2025. PMID: 39994683 Free PMC article.

References

1. World Health Organization. International Health Regulations. (2005). Second edition, 2008. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241580410. Accessed in February 2024.
1. Boyd M, Wilson N. Failures with COVID-19 at the international level must not be repeated in an era facing global catastrophic biological risks. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2021;45(2):184. - PMC - PubMed
1. Labonté R, Wiktorowicz M, Packer C, Ruckert A, Wilson K, Halabi S. A pandemic treaty, revised international health regulations, or both? Global Health. 2021;17(1):128. - PMC - PubMed
1. Perehudoff K, ‘t Hoen E, Mara K, Balasubramaniam T, Abbott F, Baker B, et al. A pandemic treaty for equitable global access to medical countermeasures: seven recommendations for sharing intellectual property, know-how and technology. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(7):e009709. - PMC - PubMed
1. Nikogosian H, Kickbusch I. The case for an international pandemic treaty. BMJ. 2021;372:n527. - PubMed

Publication types

Actions

MeSH terms

Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions
Actions

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
- PubMed Central
- Springer
Medical
- MedlinePlus Health Information
Research Materials
- NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program
Miscellaneous
- NCI CPTAC Assay Portal

[1] World Health Organization. International Health Regulations. (2005). Second edition, 2008. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241580410. Accessed in February 2024.

[2] World Health Organization. International Health Regulations. (2005). Second edition, 2008. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241580410. Accessed in February 2024.

[3] Boyd M, Wilson N. Failures with COVID-19 at the international level must not be repeated in an era facing global catastrophic biological risks. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2021;45(2):184. - PMC - PubMed

[4] Boyd M, Wilson N. Failures with COVID-19 at the international level must not be repeated in an era facing global catastrophic biological risks. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2021;45(2):184. - PMC - PubMed

[5] Labonté R, Wiktorowicz M, Packer C, Ruckert A, Wilson K, Halabi S. A pandemic treaty, revised international health regulations, or both? Global Health. 2021;17(1):128. - PMC - PubMed

[6] Labonté R, Wiktorowicz M, Packer C, Ruckert A, Wilson K, Halabi S. A pandemic treaty, revised international health regulations, or both? Global Health. 2021;17(1):128. - PMC - PubMed

[7] Perehudoff K, ‘t Hoen E, Mara K, Balasubramaniam T, Abbott F, Baker B, et al. A pandemic treaty for equitable global access to medical countermeasures: seven recommendations for sharing intellectual property, know-how and technology. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(7):e009709. - PMC - PubMed

[8] Perehudoff K, ‘t Hoen E, Mara K, Balasubramaniam T, Abbott F, Baker B, et al. A pandemic treaty for equitable global access to medical countermeasures: seven recommendations for sharing intellectual property, know-how and technology. BMJ Glob Health. 2022;7(7):e009709. - PMC - PubMed

[9] Nikogosian H, Kickbusch I. The case for an international pandemic treaty. BMJ. 2021;372:n527. - PubMed

[10] Nikogosian H, Kickbusch I. The case for an international pandemic treaty. BMJ. 2021;372:n527. - PubMed

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Navigating Hurdles: A Review of the Obstacles Facing the Development of the Pandemic Treaty

Affiliations

Navigating Hurdles: A Review of the Obstacles Facing the Development of the Pandemic Treaty

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Research Materials

Miscellaneous

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Similar articles

Cited by

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

Related information

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Research Materials

Miscellaneous