Independent Monitoring for the Pandemic Accord
Spark Street Advisors, UNU-IIGH · 2023
In May 2024, WHO Member States will adopt a new Pandemic Agreement at the 77th World Health Assembly to address pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The Agreement's effectiveness will rely on state parties' adherence to their obligations. Based on 54 expert consultations and a rigorous review of existing monitoring bodies that identified best practices across several treaties and sectors, the report provides a "draft zero" Terms of Reference (ToR) for an Independent Monitoring Committee for the Pandemic agreement. The purpose of the Committee would be to verify the timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of Member State reporting, using existing sources to triangulate evidence where accuracy is in question. Made up of independent experts, supported by a small independent secretariat within the pandemic agreement Conference of the Parties, and with adequate "no strings attached" financing, the Committee would have access to a broad range of information sources and be able to publish its findings regularly and without interference. The report also explores technical, organizational, operational, political, and financial aspects of independence. It builds on examples from other treaty and global health monitoring mechanisms and details how these aspects of independence could be applied in practice to the Committee.