On Monday, 17 July 2023, Chile, on behalf of a group of 62 WHO member states called for a more transparent, inclusive process for civil society engagement in the WHO negotiations of a pandemic treaty at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), including during the informal discussions.
The 62 countries included:
Group of Friends of the Treaty (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom)
Group of Friends of One Health (Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, EU, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK, and US)
14 countries from LATAM (Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Uruguay)
The Philippines
The original statement is in Spanish: Joint statement on Civil Society engagement GoF, GoF OneHealth, LATAM, other MS 17.07.2023
The English version is reproduced below.
English version:
Intergovernmental Negotiating Body – 6th meeting (July 17, 2023)
Joint Statement –
Agenda Item 2
I deliver this statement on behalf of the countries of the Group of Friends of the Treaty, the Group of Friends of One Health, a group of 14 countries from LATAM, and others MS. The full list of countries will be circulated.
We want to recognize and thank the active commitment and contribution of stakeholders throughout this entire process, including the comments they have made to the different versions of the text that we have reviewed, which are a fundamental part of our discussions internally and collectively.
We want to reiterate the importance that Member States give to the active participation and meaningful contributions of civil society and intergovernmental partners, recognizing the importance of broad engagement to ensure a successful outcome.
In this regard, we commit to seeking more and better ways to interact with stakeholders to facilitate their contributions to the negotiation process. Including informal discussions between Member States and other stakeholders to allow for open and frank exchange of ideas, and working with the INB Bureau and the WHO Secretariat to consider ways to facilitate interactions and conversations between civil society and MS on WHO premises in the margins of INB meetings.