As the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) of WHO Member States meets for the ninth time, and Member States continue to negotiate a pandemic accord ahead of the World Health Assembly in May, stakeholders of WHO Health in World of Work Network (H-WoW) have released a statement in support of progress on developing the pandemic accord and for amendments proposed by the International Labour Organization.
H-WoW organizations represent key stakeholders in the world of work, including: government agencies for health labour and social protection, business leaders, employers and trade unions, associations of occupational health professionals and others. Intergovernmental Negotiating Body’s ninth session (INB9) is a critical point of the pandemic accord negotiations. The H-WoW Network statement calls for protections for all workers, regardless of sector, for future pandemics, including health and socio-economic measures. This statement was released by the H-WoW Network stakeholder members and not by WHO.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reiterated the critical nature of the world of work in pandemic planning and response, in the healthcare sector but also far beyond, and highlighted the far-reaching impact pandemics can have on the world of work.
WHO convenes the H-WoW network with the goal of increasing access to accurate and relevant information and build a community of collaborative sharing on topics related to health emergency preparedness and response and the intersection between public health and the workplace.
The full statement can be found at partner organizations including:
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) statement on pandemic accord
Photo credit: ITUC
