A Revolution in HIV/AIDS Treatment
By German Velasquez
On September 25, 2025, two voluntary licensing agreements were announced between Gilead, the patent holder, and generic drug manufacturers in India for the supply of generic lenacapavir at $40 (instead of the original $28,218) per patient per year. However, too many countries are excluded from the agreements.
Negotiating Global Health Policies
Tensions and Dilemmas
Description:
This book presents reflections and research that highlight tensions in the negotiations on pandemic preparedness treaties and revisions to the International Health Regulations, underscoring the geopolitical divide between developed and developing countries. It advocates regional health initiatives as a response to the multilateral impasse and reflects on the erosion of foundational public health concepts such as “essential medicines”.
New pandemics are inevitable. How can we best prepare for them and, above all, how can we avoid the mistakes and injustices made during the COVID-19 pandemic?
How can equitable access to medicines and diagnostics be guaranteed when they are produced in a small number of countries? How can we explain the fact that current funding for cooperation in the field of health is in the hands of a small group of Northern countries and foundations from the North? How can the role of the World Health Organization be strengthened? WHO now plays only a minor role in coordinating public health policies. How is it that the concept of “essential medicines”, a major advance in public health policy, is being replaced by that of “medical countermeasures”, a term more in line with the private sectors?
Preparing for future pandemics forces us to ask ourselves: how can we safeguard the general interest, the defense of human rights and public health?
Negotiating Global Health Policies: Tensions and Dilemmas is essential reading for negotiators from the 194 member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) who participate in international negotiations on health and development. Academics and students of medicine, health sciences, law, sociology and political science, as well as intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations who work on access to medicines and global health issues, also would find the book of interest.
Author: Germán Velásquez is Special Adviser, Policy and Health of the South Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. Previously, he was Director of the Secretariat on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property at WHO. He represented WHO at the WTO TRIPS Council from 2001 to 2010. He is the author and co-author of numerous publications on health economics and medicines, health insurance schemes, globalization, international trade agreements, intellectual property and access to medicines.
He obtained a Master’s degree in Economics and a PhD in Health Economics from Sorbonne University, Paris. In 2010, he received a Honoris Causa PhD on Public Health from the University of Caldas, Colombia and in 2015 he received another Honoris Causa PhD from the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.
Implementing the 2024 AMR Political Declaration: Industry Accountability and Equity in Agrifood Sector Transformation
By Dr. Viviana Munoz Tellez
On 2 July 2025, at the sides of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, a high-level dialogue on AMR was held, co-organized by the Governments of Kenya and the United Kingdom (co-chairs of the Group of Friends of AMR), the South Centre, FAO, and the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform. The event took place at the FAO Headquarters in Rome, with in-person participation and webcast. Ambassadors and senior officials of Kenya, South Africa, India and Brazil, among others, made interventions in the high-level segment. The South Centre was also part of the panel.
The theme of the event “Industry Accountability and Equity in Agrifood Sector Transformation” provided an opportunity for forward-looking dialogue on the urgent need to transform how antimicrobials are used in agrifood systems, and the government’s required leadership in developing and implementing national policy frameworks that are adapted to national contexts, priorities and needs to address AMR and in adopting measures to incentivize responsible practices in the agrifood sector.
New Amendments to the International Health Regulations: Strengthening Access to Health Products in Emergencies and Pandemics
By Viviana Munoz Tellez
The International Health Regulations amendments entered into force on September 19, 2025 across most World Health Organization (WHO) Member States. These updates don’t give WHO any new powers but help countries work better together to advance fair and timely access to health products such as vaccines, treatments and diagnostics needed to respond to health emergencies. The real challenge now is implementation and building the necessary capabilities to make these improvements function.
South Centre Statement during the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
General Debate under Item 3
Geneva, 19 September 2025
At the 60th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC60), the South Centre delivered a statement welcoming the crucial update to the technical guidance on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.
We are encouraged that the guidance moves beyond technical corrections to address the deep-seated root causes of why women and girls still die during childbirth. In our statement, we highlighted several key advancements:
🔹 An Intersectional Approach: The guidance rightfully identifies structural racism and discrimination as fundamental factors, providing a strong basis for targeted interventions.
🔹 A “Human Rights Economy” Framework: It broadens accountability to international financial institutions and corporations, emphasising that the global financial architecture—including sovereign debt, austerity measures, and healthcare privatisation—must be reformed to prioritise human rights.
🔹 Accountability and Reparations: The call for independent accountability mechanisms and a reparation fund for victims correctly reframes preventable maternal deaths from unfortunate accidents to serious injustices requiring systemic solutions.
These principles are intrinsically linked to the realisation of the Right to Development. A global environment that respects this right is essential for funding public health and creating societies where women and girls can thrive.
The challenge now is implementation. We call on all states, international financial institutions, and partners to fully fund and realise this new, rights-based and justice-oriented guidance.
The Role of the Human Rights Council in Advancing the Right to Health: From Guidance to Implementation
Side Event to the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Organized by the South Centre
Date & Time: 25 September 2025, 15h00-16h00
Venue: Room Concordia 1, Palais des Nations, Geneva
This side event to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council is convened to discuss the critical implementation gap at domestic level of oversight over state obligations related to health, placing the voices and priorities of the Global South at the center of the discourse to chart a course for a more effective approach to advancing the right to health for all.
Financial Support for Civil Society Advocacy during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025
The South Centre invites applications from civil society organizations and research institutions from developing countries for limited financial funding (maximum 2000 USD) to design and launch or extend impactful advocacy campaigns that engage local government, communities, stakeholders and media to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The scope of the campaigns can be human health, the human-animal interface, use of antimicrobials in food production systems, the role of the environment in the transmission and spread of AMR.
The campaigns should take place during the World AMR Awareness Week 2025. The theme for the World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 is “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future”. This year’s WAAW will take place from 18–24 November 2025.
To apply for funding, please complete the application form below and send it to Ms. Caroline Ngome Eneme at ngomeeneme@southcentre.int by 20 September 2025. In case you need more space to provide information on your project, please attach it in a separate document. Any questions about this call can also be sent to this email address.
The selection result will be announced by 15 October 2025.
Community Based Surveillance for AMR Monitoring: Significance, Requirements and Feasibility in LMICS
By Afreenish Amir
Community based surveillance, in addition to clinical antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance, plays an essential role in AMR and antimicrobial use trend monitoring. Various community-based AMR surveillance studies to monitor trends in AMR and use of antimicrobials have been conducted and shown its potential to facilitate evidence-based interventions and policy making for control of AMR. Many low and middle income countries (LMICs) lack the necessary systems and resources to establish effective surveillance systems. Specifically, the surveillance capacity at hospitals and other health facilities is limited, and the overall human resource capacity for community-level data collection, analysis, and multi-sectoral coordination is severely constrained. Prior to planning for community based AMR surveillance, a country should have established mechanisms to run the system efficiently, including strong governance and regulations, surveillance infrastructure, laboratory capacities, skilled human resources, data collection and management, funding and sustainability.
The World Health Organization and quadripartite partners have recommended advancing community based AMR surveillance in LMICs, and integrated AMR surveillance combining information from humans, animals and ecosystems, which seems a challenge in the current situation. Considering the significant gaps in systems, resources, and capacities, it is important to prioritize strengthening the country’s core capacities and addressing the underlying gaps in healthcare systems. Efforts should focus on enhancing the country’s core capacities, systems, and technical requirements while exploring the potential of advancing selective community based AMR surveillance interventions and systems in the future.
Gender Intersectionality in Antimicrobial Resistance
Webinar Report
The South Centre held a webinar on Gender Intersectionality in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), on 14 May 2025, with the participation of experts from academia, independent research institutions and international organizations. The webinar was attended by over 70 participants from around the world, demonstrating interest in gaining greater understanding of the gender dimension in effective strategies for tackling antimicrobial resistance.
Designing an Independent Panel on Evidence for Action on Antimicrobial Resistance: Lessons from Selected Bodies in Global Health, Climate Change and Biodiversity
By Viviana Munoz Tellez and Francesca Chiara
This paper proposes a framework for designing an Independent Panel on Evidence for Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (IPEA), responding to the 2025 United Nations General Assembly mandate. Through a comparative analysis of selected international scientific advisory bodies, we identify the panel’s mandate as the foundational element that will critically shape its composition, scope, deliverables, and governance structure. Our framework addresses key domains of credibility, scientific integrity, authority, policy relevance, and sustainability while establishing equity as a fundamental design principle—not merely ensuring low and middle-income country (LMIC) participation but designing the IPEA to address existing imbalances in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) evidence production and dissemination. We analyse potential mandate options, from evidence synthesis to policy recommendations, highlighting the importance of defining a unique and complementary role for IPEA within the existing AMR governance landscape to avoid duplication and maximize impact on global AMR response.
Implementing the 2024 AMR Political Declaration: Industry Accountability and Equity in Agrifood Sector Transformation
High-Level Dialogue on AMR, with the support of South Centre
2 July 2025, 12:30 – 16:00 CEST
FAO Headquarters (Rome), Iran Room (B-116 bis)
Policy in Practice: Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Post-COVID-19
Q&A and Commentary
By Dr Rasha Abdelsalam Elshenawy
This report summarises the key questions and expert commentary for the South Centre, as well as the South Centre Policy Brief on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship and provide practical recommendations discussed during the South Centre webinar on “Strengthening Antimicrobial Stewardship: Policy Insights from COVID-19 and Future Pandemic Preparedness.”
