Question NW568 to the Minister of Health
23 March 2023 - NW568
Xaba, Mr NV to ask the Minister of Health
Whether, with regard to the devastating health and socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Republic has been party to any international treaties on pandemics apart from the COVAX Facility that the Republic is part of; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what gaps have been identified for strengthening?
Reply:
The Republic has participated in several multilateral platforms dealing with Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention and Response (PPPR). These platforms include the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) Facilitation Council, the World Health Organisation-led International Health Regulations (IHR)(2005) review processes, and the World Health Organisation-led Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) that will consider the envisaged international pandemic treaty that is still to be negotiated. The ACT-A Facilitation Council (FC) was launched in April 2020 and established in September 2020 to facilitate the work of the ACT-A partnership and was Co-Chaired by South Africa and Norway are the Co-Chairs of the FC. The ACT-A was established
to enable an effective and equitable global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was established at a time of urgency and uncertainty – less than three months after the World Health Organisation (WHO) determined that the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020. It brought together governments, scientists, businesses, civil society, and philanthropists and global health organizations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, the Global Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI, FIND, Gavi, Unitaid, and Wellcome.
The ACT-A was responsible for mobilising Medical Countermeasures (MCMs) as tools that were deployed for interventions and treatments used to prevent or mitigate the effects of a pandemic or other public health emergency of international concern such as vaccines, therapies, medical devices, tests and other diagnostic tools, and personal protective equipment. The ACT-A Facilitation Council commissioned an independent external evaluation. The evaluation Report assessed 24 evaluation questions across six areas namely: 1. Mandate; 2. Set-up and structure; 3. Resource mobilization and
financing; 4. Achievements; 5. Gaps and missed opportunities; and 6. Way forward. The evaluation Report was published on 10 October 2022.
https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/external-evaluation-of-the-access-to-covid-19-tools-accelerator-%28act-a%29.
South Africa is also participating in the IHR-2005 review process through the Bureauof the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) coordinated by the WHO. The review process is still in the early stages. Member States and relevant stakeholders have been invited to express their general views on the proposed amendments, including on Article 2 “Purpose and scope” and Article 3 “Principles” of the IHR. Member states will in future be invited to identify areas where there may be convergence and also the opposite, and to identify any priorities for addressing the amendments including on areas of potential overlap with the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB). The Director-General of the WHO will
communicate the package of targeted amendments before the opening of the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly as per Article 55(2) of the IHR.
In addition, South Africa is participating in the intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) consists of WHO Member States and which is Co-Chaired by South Africa and Netherlands. The INB is involved in the discussion of the Pandemic Instrument. The deliberations are currently still at the stage of the conceptualisation of a Zero Draft framework. The Zero Draft document is a framework and outline of the envisaged pandemic instrument that looks at background, methodology and approach to be used during the development of the negotiation tool. The negotiations have not yet commenced but South Africa is participated in discussions focussing on the development of the Conceptual Draft Document. The proposed accord would take the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and use them to prepare better in the areas of Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention and Response (PPPR). The issue of equity has been identified as one of the key principles that must be considered in future deliberations of the new accord. Negotiations on the instrument will only commence in the latter part of 2023.
END.