The United States and the European Union rejected a United Nations declaration on pandemic preparedness on Friday, during a high-level meeting in New York. Italy also explicitly rejected the text, according to The New York Times.
The declaration came out of the second UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. It is not legally binding, but it was meant to signal global political commitment to cooperating in future health emergencies.
Representing the United States, CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the document contained “divisive ideologies that lack definitional consensus” and that the country was “not in a position to support this text in full.” The Trump administration had pushed to remove references to equity, solidarity, sexual and reproductive health services, gender equality and vaccine access.
The European Union objected on different grounds. It said the draft crossed “red lines” on intellectual property protections and insisted that technology transfer must be voluntary and on mutually agreed terms.
India and Germany raised reservations about parts of the text but stopped short of rejecting it. The declaration now goes to the full General Assembly for further consideration, where it is still likely to win enough votes for adoption.