Kenyan MPs tied up by the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua missed a critical meeting to push for an end to vaccines inequity during pandemics.
Members of Parliament from around the world gathered at a global summit in Berlin on Wednesday to sign a statement in support of the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement, still under discussion.
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta first mooted the treaty alongside 24 other world leaders in March 2021, following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Last week’s statement signed by the leadership of UNITE – a partnership of parliamentarians and leaders from the global health community – marked a significant commitment from legislators to strengthen pandemic preparedness, response, and equitable access to health services.
“Parliamentarians are the voice of the people and have a crucial responsibility in safeguarding public health,” said Ricardo Baptista Leite, President of UNITE.
“The WHO Pandemic Agreement represents a historic opportunity to prevent pandemics and strengthen our global preparedness and response capabilities. By signing this statement, we are not only showing our support for the agreement but also pledging to ensure that its principles of equity, solidarity, and global cooperation are fully realized in every nation.”
The Unite Global Summit, held this year in collaboration with the World Health Summit, is a high-level gathering of parliamentarians, civil society leaders and health experts.
The summit aimed to translate discussions into actionable policies. It focused on critical health challenges under four main pillars: human rights and equitable access to health; global health architecture and security; strengthening of healthcare systems; and sustainable financing for health.
The signing of the Global Parliamentary Statement in Support
of the Pandemic Agreement was
one of the summit’s key highlights, demonstrating the critical
role of parliamentarians in ensuring global health security and
safeguarding populations against
future pandemics.