lol Hi! It’s me again: your favorite #HuffPostInfluencer and Blogger coming back for round two. I just got off of several calls with members of the WHO and am happy to report back with (mostly) good news. If you want a more entertaining summary of this article, feel free to follow the Youtube link: https://youtu.be/mXsNrPQXJd8
If you think you take yourself too seriously, proceed at your own risk.
After trying, and failing, once again to weasel my way into the too-cool-for-school 2022 USA Cabinet at the top of Session 3, I cut my losses and did a U-turn into the World Health Organization.
Why can’t I be cool enough for the Cabinet of the USA
I shall save the hot goss for last, so scroll down if you don’t care about the “boring stuff,” and just want to know which two countries are duking it out in the World Health Organization right now.
The Triple D Resolution
I first spoke with the WHO delegate of Trinidad and Tobago about the Distribution, Discipline and Dedication, Triple D, or DDD, resolution underway at the WHO. The goal of the resolution is to create equality in vaccine distribution.
The goals of the resolution:
- Attempts to build huge facilities in each major region of the world.
- Partnership between the WHO and Doctors Without Borders (bringing more doctors to underdeveloped nations)
- Educating citizens: creating an easy-to-use educational page on the WHO website and utilizing social media
- Creating a partnership between countries with low vaccination rates (under 75%) and countries with high vaccination rates
The initiative will be primarily funded by the People’s Republic of China, as well as the World Bank, New Zealand and Israel. The delegate of Trinidad and Tobago informed me that they will also be seeking funding from private and governmental institutions across the world. Let’s place bets on whether or not the USA will get involved.
“Our greatest focus with this initiative is the partnering of underdeveloped countries with countries that have high vaccination rates.”
WHO Delegate of Trinidad and Tobago
First world countries with high vaccination rates are expected to manufacture and provide vaccines for their developing counterpart, providing education to the developing country, helping to create vaccine facilities within their developing partner, among other initiatives. The delegate of Trinidad and Tobago cited Israel, and Trinidad and Tobago, as an exemplar partnership due to the surplus of vaccines within Israel and the potential for sharing them with Trinidad and Tobago.
Underdeveloped Countries for Equitable Vaccine Distribution by Nigeria, Kenya and Paraguay
The WHO delegate of Paraguay reached out to me for an interview at the very beginning of todays (February 5th) sessions, in order to discuss a paper which their team is currently working on, the Underdeveloped Countries for Equitable Vaccine Distribution paper.
“Our paper focuses specifically on underdeveloped countries. I think this really sets us apart from everyone else. Everyone else that we have heard from is talking about the major world powers, and all of their donations, but no one is acknowledging the fact that developing countries have different needs than those of developed countries when it comes to equitable and sustainable vaccine distribution.”
WHO Delegate of Paraguay
The delegate is disgusted by the fact that developing countries are fully reliant on “handouts” for the time being, as they lack the resources to develop their own vaccines and facilities. She explained that most developing countries have been forced to survive off of the hand me downs of more powerful countries, being given vaccines which have almost expired or have already expired. The delegate cited a lack of effective and/or safe storage procedures in developing countries as one of the main reasons for vaccine waste in developing countries.
Nigeria, Kenya and Paraguay have joined forces in order to confront these challenges. The team intends to partner with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the building of vaccine manufacturing facilities in the Global South: establishing a dependable source for vaccine manufacturing and creating jobs in developing countries.
“I don’t really look at it (the financial involvement of the Gates Foundation) as a handout. I look at it as an investment.”
WHO Delegate of Paraguay
The declaration of the UCEVD as an investment is especially exciting to me, as the infrastructure established by this agreement will, no doubt, continue to serve developing countries in new ways if we are to ever face another Global Health Crisis. The delegate of Trinidad and Tobago is to act as a signatory for the initiative.
Drama in the World Health Organization (The hot goss, if you will)
Now is the time for the piping hot tea. An anonymous source has informed me that in WHO meetings, Israel and Lebanon are incessantly butting heads. The source is a member of the World Health Organization, and therefore has access to all WHO committee sessions and has witnessed the behavior first hand.
“Israel and Lebanon refuse to work together due to political clashes involving vaccinating Palestinians.”
Anonymous WHO Delegate
In addition to the tensions rising between Israel and Lebanon, there has been increased tension between Delegates of the World Health Organization and the Chair. The chair has, allegedly, stated that sponsors for both the Triple D Resolution and the Underdeveloped Countries for Equitable Vaccine Distribution Initiative must be of the “economically sound, more developed countries.” The anonymous WHO delegate informed me that this puts many delegates’ papers at risk, and is therefore hurting the underdeveloped countries which could use the support. WHO delegates are upset by these restrictions, and tensions only continue to grow.
Although, on a more positive note, my anonymous source alleges that sparks are FLYING between the WHO delegates of Cuba and Israel, as Israel uses the dynamic to her advantage: manipulating the UCEVD to the favor of their signatories.