PM Kakar urges better preparedness against future pandemics

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has urged the international community to ensure better preparedness through legally binding obligations for building resilience against future pandemics.

Addressing the high-level meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response at the UN Headquarters in New York, PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar said Pakistan believes that the issue of pandemic preparedness, prevention and response can be best addressed through a legally binding treaty as mandated by the World Health Assembly.

PM Kakar further said any scientific discovery, which is essential to save lives, should be treated as a global public good and be available to all countries and companies, Radio Pakistan reported.

Secondly, commercial companies or private owners and actors should not be put in-charge of determining vaccines or medical production and distribution.

He said this should be determined in intergovernmental negotiations under the auspices of the World Health Organization.

The prime minister also emphasized on global commitment to remove trade barriers, strengthen supply chains, facilitate the movement of medical and public health goods, diversify manufacturing, capacity across regions and promote technology transfer for developing countries.

He said financing effective national, regional and global health emergency preparedness will require approximately 30 billion dollars per year, including an estimated gap of 10 billion dollars in new external financing per year.