African countries could face another severe shortage of life-saving vaccines in future health crises if key gaps in a proposed global pandemic treaty are not addressed, according to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Policy Manager Ngaatendwe Murombedzi warns that the current draft agreement being negotiated in Switzerland Geneva may fall short unless provisions around fair access are strengthened.

At the centre of the concern is the Pathogens Access and Benefit-Sharing Annex, a key mechanism under discussion within the World Health Organisation pandemic accord. The system is intended to ensure that countries sharing pathogen data are guaranteed equitable access to vaccines and treatments developed from that information.

African health groups say the lessons of the COVID-19 crisis remain fresh, when many countries on the continent struggled to secure timely access to vaccines while wealthier nations stockpiled supplies.

Campaigners are now pushing a clear message to negotiators,“No Equity, No Agreement”, insisting that any global deal must include binding commitments to fair distribution.

Murombedzi says African stakeholders are calling for stronger guarantees that would prevent a repeat of past inequities, ensuring that life-saving vaccines and treatments are accessible to all countries when the next global outbreak occurs.

–ChannelAfrica–