SAFEGUARDING HUMAN RIGHTS AND STAHOLDERS’ PARTICIPATION IN THE NEW ‘PANDEMIC TREATY’

• Parliamentarians Primer

Members of Parliament (MPs) have witnessed the harmful consequences of ill-thought COVID-19 responses on individual and public health, as well as on governance, in their respective constituencies; in some contexts, legislative powers have been suspended or weakened with simultaneous expansions of executive power, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the rule of law and human rights. MPs advocacy and engagement in the initial development and ongoing refinement of the pandemic treaty will be critical towards ensuring a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to pandemic preparedness and response.