Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness & Response

Understanding the ‘Pandemic Treaty’ and it’s relevance for people who use drugs

In December 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) held a Special Session, the second-ever since WHO’s founding, and agreed to develop a ‘WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic preparedness’ – the so-called ‘Pandemic Treaty’. The pandemic treaty is a way to help avoid repeating the shortcomings we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic response, where key populations and marginalised communities were disproportionately affected by misuse of emergency powers or saw our needs ignored entirely.

Communities and key populations – including people who use drugs – played a crucial role in the COVID-19 response, and our inputs are critical for future pandemic prevention and preparedness. INPUD has been contributing to the development of the pandemic treaty through advocacy and public comments to the intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) responsible for drafting the treaty. To support these comments, we have also conducted peer-led research to capture the experiences and perspectives of people who use drugs globally.

On this page you will find all of INPUD’s work regarding the pandemic treaty, along with resources for people who use drugs to understand more about the treaty and how it will impact them.

Hanging by a Thread: Towards a Pandemic Agreement

This strong document is INPUD’s most recent submission to the WHO-constituted Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, responsible for producing a Pandemic Agreement by May 2024. It presents the key issues for communities of people who use drugs for pandemic prevention, preparedness  and response. INPUD’s critical response to the recent Revised Draft of the Agreement calls for “hard, actionable long-term commitment and political leadership to do things differently”, with an emphasis on responsibility, governance, monitoring, transparency and accountability. The submission restates INPUD’s commitment to strategies and services that are evidence-based, community-led, equity-focused and adequately funded. Key recommendations promote a spirit of solidarity, equity and access to person-centred health care, including advocating for human rights language to be mainstreamed throughout the Agreement and for significant inequities and barriers to be addressed to allow for adequate pathogen access and benefits sharing by Member States.

Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Voices of People who Use Drugs

We are proud to announce the launch of our community-led research report, the Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Voices of People Who Use Drugs. This report gives a global perspective on the experiences of people who use drugs during the COVID-19 and evidence-based recommendations to inform the drafting of the Pandemic Treaty, an initiative of the WHO.

The document is also available is French, Spanish and Russian.

Joint Statement by INPUD, HRI and NSWP for INB Public Hearing

This joint statement was written by INPUD, Harm Reduction International and Global Network of Sex Work Projects for submission to the public hearings on an international instruments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (INB) held by the WHO held on 11-12 April, 2022.