Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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810. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the WHO proposal for an international treaty to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response; to outline the engagement he has had with the European Union, the World Health Organization and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on the matter; the role Ireland will play in the negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24608/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the global status quo in terms of pandemic preparedness and response is not adequate and needs revision and as such, Ireland strongly supports a multilateral approach to global health issues with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a central leadership role.

On 1 December 2021, the members of the World Health Organisation reached consensus to begin the process to negotiate a convention, agreement, or other international instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Ireland supports the WHO-led process to negotiate a binding legal instrument on pandemic preparedness and response. The aim of such a Pandemic Agreement is to protect public health and to help save lives in the event of future pandemics.

An Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) was established and met for the first time on 24 February 2022. The INB has met five times to date and is due to meet again in July to progress work on drafting the agreement. A progress report will be delivered to the 76th World Health Assembly this month, with the aim of adopting the instrument by 2024.

Ireland has been participating in the INB process along with EU partners and is also, along with a majority of EU Member States, part of the Group of Friends of the Treaty. It should be noted that while certain health matters are within the competency of EU Member States, other health matters are within the competency of the EU itself. The Group of Friends of the Treaty strongly supports an agreement that would foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional, and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics.

Ireland is advocating for an ambitious, fair, and implementable agreement to protect public health through better pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

Officials in my Department, working with Ireland's Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva, are engaging, and will continue to engage, with the Group of Friends, other Government Departments, the EU negotiator, other EU Member States, and the INB bureau in this process.