In the latter stages of the treaty negotiations during the pandemic, a notable development occurred as Switzerland put forward a modification to the UN General Assembly’s preliminary resolution on global health and foreign policy. This proposed change aimed to include the phrase “on voluntary and mutually agreed terms” following “transfer of technology and know-how” in the twenty-ninth preambular paragraph.
Despite this, the amendment was ultimately turned down, with 103 UN members voting against it, 19 voting in support, and three abstentions. Consequently, the final iteration of resolution A/78/L.62 was sanctioned by the UN Member States, with 103 voting for, 48 voting against, and one abstention.
An analysis of the voting records in relation to the population and income of each country revealed intriguing trends. Countries with higher incomes tended to oppose the resolution, with few exceptions such as Norway, Qatar, Singapore, and Kuwait. Conversely, lower-income countries were more inclined to endorse the resolution, with only seven out of 95 countries with the lowest per-capita income voting against it.
On the whole, the voting patterns closely corresponded with the economic status of the countries, with higher-income countries generally opposing the resolution, while lower-income countries were more likely to support it. According to the analysis, the countries that voted in favor had a per-capita income of $6,691, whereas the countries that voted against had a per-capita income of $47,012.
The designation of “Neither yes nor no” encompassed countries that abstained from voting or did not cast a vote, including India’s abstention. It was noted that this category comprised countries with the lowest per capita income overall.
The outcome of the vote reflects the diverging stances of member states on the issue of technology transfer in the context of global health. The rejection of the proposed amendment and the subsequent approval of the resolution signify the complexities and differing perspectives among UN Member States on this matter.