UK says proposed pandemic treaty not acceptable [Video]

A proposed World Health Organization treaty on preparing for future pandemics is currently “not acceptable” to Britain, a UK health minister said on Tuesday.

The WHO’s 194 member states have spent two years trying to reach a landmark global agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response following the devastation caused by Covid-19.

Despite showing a desire for commitments aimed at preventing another Covid-style disaster, big differences have emerged between country blocs on how to achieve them.

Nations decided to keep negotiating for another two weeks after their deadline passed on Friday without agreement.

“The current text is not acceptable to us, therefore unless the current text is changed and refined we will not be signing up,” Conservative minister Andrew Stephenson told the UK parliament.

He said that Britain would only accept the accord “if they are firmly in the United Kingdom’s national interest” and “respect our national sovereignty”.

“Under no …