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·尼贝里(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.
日内瓦，11月26日(路透社)-西方外交官表示，世界卫生组织(WHO)正慢慢接近达成共识，通过谈判达成一项防止未来大流行的国际协议，尽管华盛顿迄今不愿使该协议具有法律约束力。
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.
世卫组织194个成员国的卫生部长周一召开为期3天的特别会议，试图达成一项旨在加强世卫组织应对疫情能力的协议。此前，世卫组织对新冠肺炎的处理方式受到批评。
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.
外交人士说，美国已经划定了一条“红线”，即它还不想承诺签署一项具有法律约束力的条约，但支持达成协议的想法，并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.
一位欧洲外交官表示，在70个国家的支持下，欧盟正在努力推动一项设定了坚定义务的条约。
"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."
他说：“我们正在进行谈判，就文本达成了一种日益增长的共识，但仍有讨论在进行。”“无论我们做什么，我们都需要未来最高政治级别的持续承诺，并建立一个系统，允许最高级别以更好的结构进行接触和准备。”
China has engaged in the talks and has not opposed a treaty, the European diplomat said.
这位欧洲外交官说，中国参与了谈判，并没有反对条约。
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月中国中部出现SARS-CoV-2病毒以来，已有超过540万人死亡。世卫组织表示，中国仍未分享一些可能有助于查明病毒来源的早期数据。
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.
预计一项全球协议将涵盖包括数据共享和新兴病毒基因组序列在内的问题，但到目前为止，谈判还没有集中在其内容上。
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：“我们很有可能会同意成立一个新的政府间谈判机构……突出的一点是，它的确切法律性质，以及它将受世卫组织宪法的哪一条管辖。”
"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."
“美国人一直非常有建设性，他们在谈判期间竭尽全力表示不反对条约。但在现阶段，他们希望保留我们达成的协议的确切法律性质。”
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus has endorsed the proposed treaty.
世卫组织总干事特德罗斯·阿达诺姆·盖布赖斯(Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus)已经批准了拟议中的条约。
"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."
特德罗斯周三对记者表示：“各国当然可以就就流行病威胁达成一项具有约束力的条约的必要性达成一致。”“我感到鼓舞的是，现在人们对需要这样一种工具达成了广泛的共识。”
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay Editing by Peter Graff)
(Stephanie Nebehay Editing Peter Graff报道)
((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)
译文内容由第三方软件翻译。