The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by delayed and inequitable access to the protective personal equipment, vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics that might have shortened the pandemic and lessened its health, social, and economic impacts. There were many drivers of inequity – a lack of public health preparedness, products ill-adapted for use in resource-poor settings, inadequate and inequitable resource mobilization and allocation, disparities in health system capacity and social supports, weaknesses in global health governance, delays in guidance and regulatory processes, and others.

The ongoing negotiations of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Body (INB) of the World Health Organization (WHO) attempt to address equity as a central element of the global health architecture to prepare for future pandemics. The INB, which initially hoped to provide the text for a binding agreement to the World Health Assembly in May 2024, was forced to expand its work to settle remaining disagreements among the parties and turn principles into agreed text.

This workshop will assess the international process to achieve agreement on pandemic preparation and response in light of broader challenges to provide for global public goods. In this conference, we intend to discuss what an equitable global regime might look like that supports innovation, speeds up R&D, and promotes fair access to essential health technologies. We will discuss the role of health system strengthening in pandemic preparation and response at the country level, with a focus on primary health care. We will also discuss ways to make the health system more equitable, responsive, transparent, and accountable through independent monitoring and evaluation, including of the multilateral partnerships developed for health system strengthening.

Workshop Schedule

9am Registration

9:15-10am Conference Opening:

David Wilcove, Vice Dean, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

Pedro Conceicao, Director, Human Development Report, UN Development Programme

10am-12pm IP Roundtable: Addressing IP Barriers to Promote Innovation, Transparency, and Equitable Access in Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response

Brook Baker, Professor of Law Emeritus, Northeastern University

Rachel Cohen, Senior Adviser, Drugs for Neglected Diseases (DNDi)

James Love, Director, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)

Els Torreele, global health and medical innovations consultant

German Velasquez, Special Advisor on Health and Policy, South Centre

12-1pm Lunch

1-3pm Health Systems Roundtable: Addressing IP Barriers to Promote Innovation, Transparency, and Equitable Access in Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response

Keynote: Agnes Binagwaho, fmr Minister of Health, Rwanda

Amanda Banda, Global Health Advocate, WEMOS

Kristina Engstrom and Jill Vickers, fmr Peace Corps, Smallpox Eradication Program in Afghanistan

Niraj Jha, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University

Benjamin Rice, Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University

Alyssa Sharkey, Lecturer, Center for Health and Wellbeing, Princeton University

3-4pm Final Reflections

Nicole Hassoun, Founder, Global Health Impact Organization, and Professor, Binghamton University

Barbara Buckinx, Research Scholar, Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, Princeton University

Sponsorship of an event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.