Options for a Preventative Pandemic Treaty based on One Health

This paper analyses options for a new international instrument for pandemic prevention through the lens of One Health. It also examines potential models in terms of their capacity to deliver what we call ‘deep prevention’.4 This is aimed at preventing the risk of zoonoses from the earliest stage, and not just preventing or limiting the spread of a pandemic once it emerges. The paper also considers the ability of different models to capitalise on existing expertise in relevant fields through collaborations with international organisations, as well as the capacity to incorporate existing international rules and standards, thereby reducing norm duplication and enhancing the efficiency and legitimacy of the new regime. Through comparisons with other existing instruments, the paper argues that the most suitable model for a new instrument would be a framework convention adopted by the international community outside the auspices of any single organisation. This would ensure that the three dimensions of One Health (human, animal and environmental) receive equal footing, while also allowing for relevant international organisations to contribute to the development of the framework regime over time. Other alternatives are also explored, including a standalone treaty or an instrument adopted under the constitution of the World Health Organisation. The paper concludes with several recommendations which could be pursued alongside or in the alternative to a binding legal instrument