For the week of 19 February to 1 March  2024

#PandemicTreaty #INB8 #PeopleOverProfit #ProtectWorkers #Health4All #NoMoreMonopolies

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) is spearheading the development of a global agreement, known as the Pandemic Treaty, aimed at handling health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. See our explainer for more background.

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) has been drafting this treaty since February 2023 which involves input from a variety of actors, including health and care workers. 

Health and care workers have been making sure their voices are heard by talking with government leaders, writing letters, and sharing their demands. These efforts have yielded positive results, as the current draft text has references to the rights of health and care workers.

However, there has been a crucial setback. The language that prioritised adequate protective equipment for frontline health workers during pandemics has been deleted from the current version. We need to continue our campaign to get that language back and add some more provisions which have been our long-standing demands.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we actively campaigned for fairer access to vaccines. Our efforts led to a reflection of our concerns in the initial drafts of the treaty. But now, these provisions have been weakened, so it's more important than ever that we continue to advocate for our cause.

The next round of negotiations is happening from February 19 - March 1st and we need your help to make sure our collective voice is heard at the WHO. Join our social media action during that week to collectively call on to the member states of WHO to prioritise worker’s rights in the Pandemic Treaty.

What you can do:

• Use the hashtags #PandemicTreaty #INB8 #ProtectWorkers and tag @WHO in your social media messages. You can use the suggested social media messages below (or compose your own!). 

• Follow and tag @PSIglobalunion and retweet/ repost when the action begins on 19 February 2024. You can also tag the listed targets and allies below.

Your action will help amplify the voices of health care workers and civil society across the world!

Suggested Posts/Reposts

• 👷‍♀️👨‍⚕️ Upholding the right to decent work for health and care workers is crucial. Language on protective equipment must be reinstated in the WHO Pandemic Treaty. Let's prioritize health and safety. 🛡️ #DecentWork #HealthWorkersRights 

• 📝 Recommendations for a robust WHO Pandemic Treaty: 

  👩‍⚕️Broad definition of health workforce 

  🤝🏼Decent work as a guiding principle 

  ⚖️Safe staff to patient ratios 

  😷Inclusion of the precautionary principle 🌐 #PandemicTreaty #INB8 

•  💰 Ensure public financing for public goods in the WHO #PandemicTreaty. Medical countermeasures from public-funded research programs should be accessible and not patented. 🌐 #PublicHealth #InnovationForAll  

• 💊 Manufacturers must provide medical countermeasures at no profit/no loss basis. Transparency in R&D costs is vital. Let's not rely on voluntary agreements; we need compulsory measures. 🤝 #HealthTech #PublicFunding #PandemicTreaty  

• 🔓 Waive patent rights in public health emergencies. The #PandemicTreaty discussed at @who must include a binding mechanism to ensure immediate access to technologies after a PHEIC is declared. 🌍 #NoMoreMonopolies #GlobalHealth #Health4All 

• 🌐 Global South faces high prices and scarcity of medical products due to intellectual property privileges. Include time-bound waivers and remove barriers for governments willing to implement compulsory measures. 🤝 #HealthEquity #GlobalHealthRights #PandemicTreaty

• 🌐 Review Free Trade Agreements to remove TRIPS-plus measures. Let's ensure fair access to health technologies 🔬 #TradeAgreements #GlobalHealthEquity #PandemicTreaty

• 🦠 Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system is vital. Concrete elements must be addressed. Governments must maintain the timeline! 🗓️ #GlobalHealthSecurity #PABSsystem #PandemicTreaty

• 💵 Monetary and non-monetary obligations on pathogen data recipients are crucial. Ensure commitment respect and real-time access to pandemic-related products. 🌍 #Health4All #PABSsystem #PandemicTreaty

• 🌐 Strengthen health systems for pandemic prevention. Call for financial justice in the #PandemicTreaty and ensure equity in financing for all countries. 💰 #HealthSystems #PandemicPrevention

• 👥 Social dialogue is key in strengthening public services. #PandemicTreaty should have provisions to direct actors to engage in social dialogue, ensuring unions and workers' participation in crisis management. 🗣️ #SocialDialogue #GlobalHealth #Health4All

• 🌐 Upholding the right to Decent Work is non-negotiable for health and care workers. #PandemicTreaty should prioritize safe, fair, and dignified working conditions for those who tirelessly care for everyone. 🩺 #DecentWork #HealthWorkersRights

• ⚖️ Ensure the Right to Freedom of Association, social dialogue, and collective bargaining for all workers. Empowering workers with a voice is fundamental to creating just and equitable workplaces. 🗣️ #WorkersRights #SocialJustice #PandemicTreaty

• 👷‍♀️👨‍⚕️ Occupational Safety and Health is a right, not a privilege. #PandemicTreaty should have provisions to provide safe working environment for all workers, including critical medical products and tools. 🛡️ #WorkplaceSafety #HealthForAll 

Suggested Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp messages

• PSI held its World Congress in October this year. We received overwhelming support for our Pandemic Treaty demands by Unions across the world. As the octave round of intergovernmental negotiations (INB 8) of the Pandemic Treaty starts today, we reiterate those demands. Equity, justice and fair working conditions should shape the final text. Upholding the right to decent work for health and care workers is crucial. The Pandemic Treaty should have provisions to direct governments and multilateral agencies to engage in social dialogue, ensuring unions and workers' participation in crisis management. We call on the World Health Organisation and governments to reinstate language on protective equipment in the negotiating text. Click here to know more: https://tinyurl.com/2b8nyf7v
  🛡️#DecentWork #HealthWorkersRights 👷‍♀️👨‍⚕️ #PandemicTreaty

• The octave round of intergovernmental negotiations (INB 8) of the Pandemic Treaty is underway. We continue to demand equitable access to affordable medical tools for one and all. Intellectual property barriers such as patents and trade secrets should be removed in entirety. Public financing for public goods should be ensured, and medical countermeasures from public-funded research should be accessible and not patented. Manufacturers must provide medical countermeasures at no profit/no loss basis. Click here to know more: https://tinyurl.com/2b8nyf7v
  💰#NoMoreMonopolies 💊#Health4All #PandemicTreaty

• Experience from Covid-19 shows that voluntary agreements don’t  work. Corporates do not share technical know–how of medical products even though people keep dying due to the lack of medical tools. People in the 🌐Global South and marginalised populations in the rest of the world are the worst affected. The Pandemic Treaty must include compulsory measures and waiving off patents to break monopolies during pandemics. It should also ensure transparency in R&D costs. Click here to know more: https://tinyurl.com/2b8nyf7v
  #NoMoreMonopolies #Health4All #PandemicTreaty 

• A crucial aspect of innovation during a pandemic is sharing of pathogen to undertake research for vaccines, medicines and diagnostics. Equally important is access to medical tools manufactured as a result of sharing. Rich countries and big pharma only focus on the surveillance aspect and exclude sharing of the benefits. Thus, Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system is vital in the Pandemic Treaty. It’s concrete elements must be addressed and WHo and governments must maintain the timeline. Click here to know more: https://tinyurl.com/2b8nyf7v
  #GlobalHealthSecurity 🦠#PABSsystem #PandemicTreaty

• Pandemics cannot be addressed only through immediate measures. It’s prevention is equally important which requires strengthening of health systems during other times. We are concerned that language on finance is weak in the negotiating text. The text should include the principle of solidarity and a commitment to an Equitable International Order. We call for financial justice in the #PandemicTreaty and ensure equity in financing for all 🌐countries. Click here to know more: https://tinyurl.com/2b8nyf7v
  #HealthSystems #PandemicPrevention #PandemicTreaty

Social Media Handles

Our Targets

UN Delegations

Our CSO Allies

Our Union Allies