Monica Garcia Celebrates Approval of Pandemic Agreement: 'A Major Step Towards Global Health'

Monica Garcia, the Minister of Health, has celebrated the consensus approval of the Pandemic Agreement by the World Health Assembly, which is taking place this week at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She considers it 'a major step towards multilateralism and global health.'

'The Pandemic Treaty embodies the lessons learned from COVID-19 and how we can face new health emergencies with better preparedness and response on a global scale. (...) This means putting all global knowledge at the service of health, regardless of where you live or the resources you have as a country or citizen,' stated the Minister of Health, Monica Garcia, following its approval.

Although an agreement has been reached, 'there have been many moments when it seemed impossible, and this should prompt a process of reflection from the countries of the Global North,' the minister recalled.

The main barriers to achieving a beneficial agreement for the world as a whole 'have been related to inflexible and overly self-protective stances of the Northern countries; in contrast, it is a source of pride to say that Spain has sought to move towards more flexible positions that do not safeguard particular interests but prioritize shared interests to reach an agreement.'