Meloni's Italy like Russia and Iran, the government abstains on the adoption of the WHO "Pandemic Agreement"

Relations between the Meloni government and the scientific community remain complicated. A majority that includes among its ranks several exponents who are at the very least “skeptical” about the use of vaccines , and which instrumentally wanted to form a commission of inquiry on Covid, to be transformed into a sort of “political tribunal” for Giuseppe Conte and Roberto Speranza , chooses not to adopt the first pandemic agreement in the world .

Today, Member States of WHO, the World Health Organization , formally adopted this historic agreement during a plenary session of the World Health Assembly, WHO's principal decision-making body.

Adoption that comes the day after the vote in the Commission of the delegations of the member states: 124 in favor and eleven abstentions . Among these is precisely Italy , in the company of Russia, Iran, Israel, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Jamaica, Paraguay and Guatemala .

A historic agreement that will serve to define principles and approaches, but also tools, for better international coordination in the face of prevention, preparation and response to pandemics, in the wake of the disaster that was Covid-19.

An agreement forcefully claimed by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , Director General of WHO: “The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and commitment of our Member States in adopting the historic WHO pandemic agreement,” he said. An agreement that is “a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure that, collectively, we can better protect the world from future pandemic threats. It is also a recognition by the international community that our citizens, our societies and our economies must not be left defenseless or we will again suffer losses like those suffered during Covid-19”.

Italy's abstention is not surprising. Although the WHO document has been scaled down over time, from a "Pandemic Treaty" to a more sober "agreement", it had ended up in the crosshairs of the League and the Italian No-Vax world.

Thus, in his statement before the vote, reported by Repubblica, Health Minister Orazio Schillaci justified the government's abstention by underlining that Italy "intends to reiterate its position regarding the need to reaffirm the sovereignty of States in the management of public health issues" and adding that there are "still open questions" that "deserve further investigation"

“With today’s abstention – the statement reads – Italy intends to reiterate its position regarding the need to reaffirm the sovereignty of States in the management of public health issues. We appreciate that this principle has been included in the text of the Pandemic Agreement. We also welcome that, in announcing the conclusion of the negotiations, WHO has specified that the Pandemic Agreement does not give WHO the power to direct, order, amend or prescribe national laws or policies, nor to oblige States to take specific actions, such as banning or accepting travellers, imposing vaccinations or therapeutic or diagnostic measures, or implementing lockdowns. We also believe that the Agreement must be implemented in full compliance with the principles of proportionality and protection of fundamental rights, including the protection of personal data and individual freedoms”.

A position harshly criticized by Matteo Bassetti , director of Infectious Diseases at the San Martino Polyclinic Hospital in Genoa and one of the points of reference in the pandemic period. Bassetti defines the choice of the Meloni government as “ not a good signal ”. “It seemed to me – he said – that the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci had said that Italy was an integral part of the WHO and therefore, if you are part, backing out on such an important topic isolates us from what is a context in which we should all be united and not divided. I’m sorry”.