Global SOS: Urgent Call to Revamp Pandemic Negotiations

AHF Virtual Press Conference: Wednesday, May 29 @ 9:00 a.m., London (GMT+1)

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a Zoom Press Conference WEDNESDAY, May 29 at 9:00 a.m. London time GMT+1 (4:00 a.m. US EDT) to comment on the stalled Pandemic Agreement negotiations taking place this week at the World Health Assembly (WHA).

“WHA Member States’ inability to reach consensus is actually a positive development. It is an admission that cheating the developing world and backing drug companies is not the right approach,” said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. “We urge world leaders to not settle for a ‘status quo’ and extend the negotiations long enough to ensure we have a Pandemic Agreement that enshrines equity as a fundamental tenet of global public health. We need an Agreement that protects all nations from future global health emergencies. If there’s ever been a time for a worldwide ‘SOS’ call for action – it is now.”

At the virtual press conference, public health experts from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the US will urge world leaders to use the delay to negotiate and deliver a just and equitable agreement that meets the needs of developing and lower-income countries – not solely rich nations and Big Pharma. The virtual press conference is a part of AHF’s global advocacy campaign called “SOS: Save Our Society”.

WHAT:	SOS SAVE OUR SOCIETY VIRTUAL ZOOM PRESS CONFERENCE: AHF to urge World Health Assembly Member States to negotiate a fair and equitable Pandemic Agreement that works for all nations, particularly lower-income countries.
WHEN:	Wednesday, May 29, 2024 @ 9:00 a.m. GMT+1 (4 a.m. EDT)
WHO:	United States - Michael Weinstein, AHF President The Netherlands - Daniel Reijer, AHF Europe Bureau Chief Greece - Nikos Dedes, Chair and Founder of Positive Voice Ukraine - Dr. Yaroslava Lopatina, Country Program Director, AHF Ukraine United Kingdom - Loretta Wong, Alternate Board Member / Global North CSO / Pandemic Fund Governance Board Uganda - Dr. Penninah Iutung, AHF Africa Bureau Chief India - Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of Rajpipla, Head of Lakshya Trust and India’s first openly gay prince …and representatives from Poland, Argentina, and others TBC. Moderator: Dr. Jorge Saavedra, Executive Director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute, Mexico
HOW:	Join Zoom Meeting here: https://zoom.us/j/94970766648?pwd=MmMyOXY1blgxSnEwcTJlMk0wMWF1dz09 Meeting ID: 949 7076 6648 One tap mobile: [phone],,94970766648# US (Washington DC) Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/a6s6dHpNi
PRESS CONTACTS:	Guilherme Faviero, Director, AHF Global Public Health Institute at the University of Miami +1 561.929.9339, [e-mail]   Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy & Communications, AHF +1 323.219.1091, [e-mail]

The global SOS: Save Our Society advocacy campaign aims to ensure global health equity and access to essential health commodities, such as vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, during pandemics and international health emergencies. Spearheaded by AHF, the campaign uses the international distress signal "SOS" to highlight the critically flawed state of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic Agreement negotiations. Advocates seek to address the glaring inequities between developed and developing countries that have historically plagued global health responses, particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.9 million individuals in 46 countries worldwide in the U.S., Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth, follow us @aidshealthcare and subscribe to our AHF podcast “AHFter Hours.”