Implications of the Pandemic Agreement for South and Southeast Asia
While the Pandemic Agreement marked a historic milestone, its true test lies in whether it can bridge the systemic equity gaps that continue to fragment global health governance. As negotiations for the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system head toward the 2026 World Health Assembly, critical questions remain about accountability and reliability of the […]
A roadmap for global health diplomacy by India in the era of climate change
The COVID-19 pandemic brought global health security issues back to mainstream geopolitical engagement, but the inadequacies of current global governance mechanisms that it exposed remain. In the wake of COVID-19, India seems to be actively embracing health as a tool of multilateral diplomacy, seeking to take its place as one of the rule-creators in the […]
Geopolitics and Health Equity: A Complex Interplay
A pandemic agreement, laying out principles of governance to tackle future health emergencies was recently adopted at the World Health Assembly on May 20, endorsed by 124 countries. The result of three years of negotiation, the agreement aims at strengthening global cooperation in pandemic preparedness and response through equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. […]
Save children from climate extremes
Governments in South Asia, which is highly vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, must integrate child welfare into climate policies. Last summer, record-breaking temperatures, soaring above 50 degrees in some regions, were observed across South Asia including in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. The extreme heat triggered widespread health alerts, prompting governments to issue […]