WHO nears consensus on future international pact to prevent pandemics - diplomats
WHO nears consensus on future international pact to prevent pandemics - diplomats
By Stephanie Nebehay
斯蒂芬妮·尼貝裏(Stephanie Nebehay)
GENEVA, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation (WHO) is inching closer to a consensus to negotiate an international agreement to prevent future pandemics, although Washington is so far reluctant to make the pact legally binding, Western diplomats say.
日內瓦，11月26日(路透社)-西方外交官表示，世界衞生組織(WHO)正慢慢接近達成共識，通過談判達成一項防止未來大流行的國際協議，儘管華盛頓迄今不願使該協議具有法律約束力。
Health ministers from WHO's 194 member states open a three-day special assembly on Monday to try to clinch a deal with the aim of strengthening the agency's ability to address pandemics, after its handling of COVID-19 was criticised.
世衞組織194個成員國的衞生部長週一召開為期3天的特別會議，試圖達成一項旨在加強世衞組織應對疫情能力的協議。此前，世衞組織對新冠肺炎的處理方式受到批評。
The United States has laid down a "red line" that it does not yet want to commit to a legally-binding treaty, but backs the idea of an agreement, and is supported by Brazil and India, diplomats say.
外交人士説，美國已經劃定了一條“紅線”，即它還不想承諾簽署一項具有法律約束力的條約，但支持達成協議的想法，並得到了巴西和印度的支持。
The European Union is pushing hard for a treaty that sets firm obligations, with backing from 70 countries, a European diplomat said.
一位歐洲外交官表示，在70個國家的支持下，歐盟正在努力推動一項設定了堅定義務的條約。
"We are negotiating, there is a kind of growing consensus on the text but there are still discussions going on," he said. "Whatever we do, we need a continued commitment at the highest political level in the future and set up a system which allows for engagement and preparedness at the highest level in a much better structured way."
他説：“我們正在進行談判，就文本達成了一種日益增長的共識，但仍有討論在進行。”“無論我們做什麼，我們都需要未來最高政治級別的持續承諾，並建立一個系統，允許最高級別以更好的結構進行接觸和準備。”
China has engaged in the talks and has not opposed a treaty, the European diplomat said.
這位歐洲外交官説，中國參與了談判，並沒有反對條約。
More than 5.4 million people have died since the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in central China in December 2019. The WHO says that China has still not shared some of its early data that might help pinpoint the origin of the virus.
自2019年12月中國中部出現SARS-CoV-2病毒以來，已有超過540萬人死亡。世衞組織表示，中國仍未分享一些可能有助於查明病毒來源的早期數據。
A global agreement is expected to cover issues including sharing of data and genome sequences of emerging viruses, but so far talks have not focused on its content.
預計一項全球協議將涵蓋包括數據共享和新興病毒基因組序列在內的問題，但到目前為止，談判還沒有集中在其內容上。
Another Western diplomat said: "It looks highly likely that we will be agreeing to a new inter-governmental negotiating body...The outstanding point is the precise legal nature of it and under which article of WHO's Constitution it would fall."
另一名西方外交官表示：“我們很有可能會同意成立一個新的政府間談判機構……突出的一點是，它的確切法律性質，以及它將受世衞組織憲法的哪一條管轄。”
"The Americans have been very constructive, they have gone to lengths during the negotiations to say they are not against a treaty. But at this stage they want to keep open the precise legal nature of the agreement that we reach."
“美國人一直非常有建設性，他們在談判期間竭盡全力表示不反對條約。但在現階段，他們希望保留我們達成的協議的確切法律性質。”
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus has endorsed the proposed treaty.
世衞組織總幹事特德羅斯·阿達諾姆·蓋布賴斯(Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus)已經批准了擬議中的條約。
"Surely countries can agree on the need for a binding pact on the threat of pandemics," Tedros told reporters on Wednesday. "I’m encouraged that there is now a broad consensus for the need for such an instrument."
特德羅斯週三對記者表示：“各國當然可以就就流行病威脅達成一項具有約束力的條約的必要性達成一致。”“我感到鼓舞的是，現在人們對需要這樣一種工具達成了廣泛的共識。”
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay Editing by Peter Graff)
(Stephanie Nebehay Editing Peter Graff報道)
((Stephanie.Nebehay@thomsonreuters.com; +41 58 306 2161; Reuters Messaging: stephanie.nebehay.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net; twitter @StephNebehay))
(Stephanie.Nebehay@thomsonreurs.com；+41 58 306 2161；路透社消息：stephanie.nebehay.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net；推特@Stephnebehay)
譯文內容由第三人軟體翻譯。