Minister Ghobash during the World Health Assembly conference: Refrain from enacting unilateral economic measures

Damascus-SANA

Health Minister Dr. Hassan Al-Ghabash stressed that achieving a safer world requires stronger tools to detect epidemics, respond quickly and sustainably, pointing out that the spread of the Corona virus provided evidence that health is not a by-product of development, but rather an essential component of social, economic and political stability.

Dr. Al-Ghabash said during a hypothetical speech at today's session of the special session of the World Health Assembly, held in Geneva with the participation of Syria: The past year and a half have shown that the emergence of the pandemic and its repercussions have made the world without any preparation for the future. Members to further enhance WHO's work in health emergencies.

Dr. Al-Ghubash explained the importance of strengthening international cooperation and solidarity to remove all obstacles that prevented access to basic health supplies, which requires refraining from enacting and applying unilateral economic, financial or commercial measures in contravention of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

He pointed out that the idea of ​​establishing an agreement for epidemic preparedness and response would provide a comprehensive framework for global cooperation and set the rules for a more coherent and coordinated response in the future, stressing the need to exercise the utmost transparency in discussing recommendations in an extensive manner that reflects the positions and requirements of all countries according to their development conditions.

This is only the second time in history that a special session of the World Health Assembly, which is usually held in May, has been held.

At this three-day session, the World Assembly is considering the benefits of developing a WHO international agreement or instrument on pandemic preparedness and response with a view to establishing an intergovernmental process for the formulation and negotiation of such agreements taking into account the report of the Working Group on Strengthening WHO Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies .