Nicosia: Cyprus Health Minister, Michalis Damianos, has welcomed the approval of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, stressing that it constitutes a historic achievement not only for global health, but also for the strengthening of multilateralism in international governance. Damianos participated in the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. ?n a statement he said that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Cyprus and many other countries supported the establishment of an Agreement that would safeguard that a similar situation with the same intensity and lack of preparation would not be repeated.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Damianos explained that following three years of negotiations, the text of the Agreement was adopted in Geneva by the World Health Assembly with Cyprus clearly in support. He said that the Agreement is a victory for public health, science, and multilateral action.
The Minister noted that the Agreement will introduce essential international rules that will cover the entire spectrum of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. He emphasized that at a time when a multilateral approach is being tested, the adoption of the Agreement sends a strong message in favor of international cooperation.
The Agreement includes measures to prevent future crises, such as multidisciplinary surveillance at the human-animal interface, based on the “One Health” approach, and provisions to ensure access to vaccines and countermeasures for all countries. The Cypriot Minister also made interventions on issues of financial crisis and WHO reforms. He participated in a meeting with his counterparts, discussing the restructuring of the global health field.