By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters), – The United States has begun a push to reform the regulations surrounding diseases outbreaks. This is known as the International Health Regulations.

These amendments were once approved by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) assembly. They are among a small number of tangible outcomes of a meeting that was seen as a unique opportunity for the U.N. agency to enhance its role after the COVID-19 outbreak, which saw 15 million people die.

Washington’s reform, supported by Japan and other countries like the European Union, is the first in a larger reform of IHR. This reform, which outlines legal obligations for nations around diseases outbreaks, will take at least two years.

Three diplomatic sources confirmed that the proposal was amended to address opposition from African countries earlier this week.

One source said that “a compromise was reached in corridors last night”, but was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Although the new proposal has not been officially approved by the assembly yet, it refers to actions to address equity issues. This is a critical issue for many developing countries, including those in Africa, which seek to ensure that future healthcare emergencies are covered.

These initial changes envision a revision to Article 59, which would accelerate the implementation of reforms by 24 to 12 months.

Another proposal from the United States is to deploy expert teams to sites that are contaminated and to create a new compliance body to oversee the future implementation of the rules.

Russia also has submitted IHR reform plans that are not yet public.