The G20 Health Working Group is confident that the pandemic agreement will hold, despite the United States pulling out of the negotiations.

That’s according to Dr Precious Matsoso, who is Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the Pandemic Agreement of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The pandemic agreement, adopted by 124 WHO member states last month, aims to boost global collaboration in response to future pandemics, including through equitable and timely access to vaccines.

Dr Matsoso was speaking at the 4th G20 Health Working Group meeting in Johannesburg,

“Even with the US pulling out of negotiations 124 countries all voted yes and said yes we want. I think it’s a very firm commitment that countries want to work together. Now for this to succeed, they all have to work together.

What was humbling is that we have developed countries and of the developed countries, one country said, we will not be part of this, but the rest of the other developed countries said yes we’re in, we’ll work with developing countries to make this happen.”