WHEN YOU watch international organisations thrash out a major new agreement, it’s a lesson in how geopolitics and rich-country heft plays out, even when it relates to something as fundamental as public health. Inevitably, developed countries manage to get their way and seal the highly unequal and iniquitous terms reached by "consensus" in multilateral fora into binding agreements. We have seen this time and again at the World Trade Organization (two).
If, however, the developing world digs its heel in, the negotiations are given a fresh lease of life, quite often for an undetermined number of years till a "consensus" more favourable to the developed world is eventually reached. This time, it was the World Health Assembly (wha) that saw another round of protracted negotiations without concluding a treaty on an improved global strategy to fight future pandemics.
The memory of covid-19 that devastated countries and communities and killed several million people worldwide just a short while ago appeared to have faded as the 194 member-states of the World Health Organization (who) failed to reach an agreement as mandated in the last week of May. The UN agency has been given another two years to conclude the pandemic treaty.
The deep differences between the developed nations and poor countries on critical measures like pathogen- and vaccine-sharing, which have marked negotiations in the UN agency for two years, were on full display once again. For one, it was a world more polarised than ever before that was meeting in Geneva in May, sharply divided over the savage war unleashed by Israel in Gaza.
This ongoing war, which has resulted in the biggest humanitarian crisis in modern times, has also blurred the lines between rich and poor nations and seen dramatic changes in strategic alliances over the genocidal Israeli assault on the Palestinian people.
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 01, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
