As the end of the year drew in, the international community in Geneva anticipated two decisive conferences: the Special Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) and the 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The WHA explored the possibility of a treaty to strengthen pandemic prevention. Here, the representatives of WHO Member States succeeded in agreeing on a common road and on the drafting of an agreement by 2024. However, the legal form and content of the agreement are still open.
Conversely, the WTO Ministerial Conference had to be canceled last minute due to the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant and is now anticipated to take place in early March. It is still unclear whether this extra time will be a blessing or a curse. The Human Rights Council addressed the latest developments in Sudan and Ethiopia. As the annual report of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also revealed, developments in the humanitarian field are a cause for concern.
Read the full report here.
