Coronavirus: WHO, WTO Collaborate To Ensure Availability Of Medical Supplies

Coronavirus: WHO, WTO Collaborate To Ensure Availability Of Medical Supplies

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) are collaborating to ensure the normal cross-border flow of vital medical supplies and other goods and services.

A joint statement by their director-generals, Tedros Ghebreyesus of WHO and Roberto Azevêdo of WTO on Sunday, said both global agencies are working together to disrupt global breaks in supply chains.

It said COVID-19 has rapidly progressed to become a global pandemic, causing unprecedented, far-reaching impact on the health, social and economic well-being of communities around the world.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO) are committed to responding effectively to the situation, working together with other international organisations and our respective memberships,” it said

“Global, coordinated action is required to deal with the extraordinary challenges the pandemic poses to people’s health as well as their livelihoods.

“Protecting lives is our top priority, and these efforts can be impeded by unnecessary disruptions to global trade and supply chains,” it added .

It revealed that the governments’ trade policy decisions significantly influence both getting medical equipment and supplies to where they are urgently needed.

It said keeping trade in health technologies as open and predictable as possible is of vital interest.

“This will help countries to respond to this crisis, to recover from it and to build the health systems that will foster greater resilience in the future,”

“WHO and WTO are working together to support efforts promoting them where possible, and to resolve unnecessary disruptions to global supply chains, in furtherance of the International Health Regulations (2005) and WTO rules.”

Countries need to reconsider restriction policies.

WTO rules provide governments with the flexibility they may need to address essential medical supply shortages and/or public health challenges.

However, any measure taken to promote public health that restricts trade should be targeted, proportionate, transparent and temporary , consistent with recent calls from world leaders, the agency said..

It advised governments to avoid measures that can disrupt supply chains and negatively impact the poorest and most vulnerable, most importantly, in developing and least developed countries that are typically reliant on imports of medicines and medical equipment.

“We call on our Members to continue to share information about their measures with WHO and WTO, in line with the established transparency mechanisms, which are now especially valuable in supporting a coordinated response,” it said .

The statement emphasised the importance of streamlining conformity checks based on regulatory cooperation and international standards “to ensure that health technologies, including diagnostics, medicines, vaccines and other medical supplies vital to treating patients infected by COVID-19, reach those in need quickly.”

While appreciating remarkable research efforts and the rapid mobilisation of public and private resources to develop COVID-19 health technologies, the two agencies called upon governments to implement policy measures that can further facilitate their research and development.

They said governments should also promote the rapid dissemination within countries and across borders so as to ensure equitable access to those technologies.

“Such initiatives include targeted investment, ensuring open access to clinical test results, the sharing of relevant intellectual property rights, increasing manufacturing capacity, open and transparent procurement regimes, the elimination of tariffs on relevant health technologies, and trade facilitation measures to reduce costs and delays,”

“Global action, solidarity and international cooperation are more necessary than ever to address this health situation. WHO and the WTO are working together to play their part,” the statement concluded.