New York – Namibian President Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah has met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in New York to discuss bilateral cooperation and the ongoing negotiations on the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement.
The meeting took place on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, bringing together the two leaders to discuss areas of mutual interest and the international effort to conclude the outstanding aspects of the global health agreement.
A key focus of the talks was the need to maintain political momentum alongside the technical negotiations surrounding the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
Namibia’s participation in the African Group negotiations was also discussed, including the role played by the country’s Ministry of Health and Social Services in key areas of the negotiation process.
President Nandi Ndaitwah outlined priorities that Namibia considers important for Africa as negotiations continue.
These include equitable and timely access to vaccines and other medical countermeasures, stronger regional capacity to respond to health emergencies, greater decentralisation of resources and improved preparedness for future public health emergencies.
The Namibian position reflects broader concerns among African countries about access to essential health products and the capacity of countries and regions to respond effectively when new health emergencies arise.
The discussions also covered the importance of continued political engagement while technical teams work through the remaining issues in the negotiations.
Namibia and Spain agreed to remain engaged as efforts continue to build consensus on the outstanding elements of the Pandemic Agreement.
Leave a comment