Health PS Mary Muthoni says Kenya is actively involved in the preparation of the “Pandemic Treaty” a global instrument on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.
Health experts say Covid-19 pandemic exposed a number of gaps in the Global Pandemic preparedness and response mechanisms.
Thus a special session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) resolved to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate an International Instrument on pandemic preparedness, prevention and Response known as “The Pandemic Treaty”.
Kenya is actively involved in the development of the treaty and is represented in the INB by an Interministerial Negotiating Committee coordinated by the Ministry of Health.
On Wednesday, Health PS Mary Muthoni while representing the CS Health met with Ms Henriette Geiger, Ambassador of the European Union to Kenya.
The meeting was to review Kenya’s progress in the development of the treaty where she briefed the EU delegation on Kenya’s priority areas in the INB process including equitable access to commodities, rapid, reliable sharing of data, diversified manufacturing for greater commodity security among others.
The PS said they also explored possible areas of collaboration in health between the European Union and Kenya including training, research, pharmaceutical manufacturing and digitization of health services.
She said Kenya is committed to strengthening the multilateral system for pandemic preparedness and response.
The PS noted that the EU is a major partner of Kenya on global Health and is keen to foster a stronger collaboration on mutual areas of interest on public health and beyond.
