The World Health Organization (WHO) partnered with the European Commission on Monday to extend the European Union’s (EU) Covid-19 digital certificate to the entire world, envisioning future uses such as a scanned ‘yellow’ vaccine bulletin. .
In a note released today in Brussels, the community executive reports on a “historic partnership in the field of digital health” with the WHO, given that the organization will adopt the EU digital certificate for Covid-19, in force for about two years.
The idea is to “establish a global system that helps facilitate global mobility and protect citizens around the world against current and future health threats,” adds the institution.
This is the first element of the WHO Global Digital Health Certification Network, which will develop digital products for everyone.
This global network of digital health certification is based “on principles and open technologies of the EU digital certificate for Covid-19”, for a “convergence of digital certificates” and the “establishment of standards and validation of digital signatures to prevent the fraud”.
“This association will work to technically develop the WHO system with a phased approach to cover additional use cases, which may include, for example, the digitization of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis,” says the European Commission in the statement of press. , referring to a future electronic vaccine bulletin (the so-called ‘yellow bulletin’), recognized in different places.
The first element of the global WHO system should be “operational by June 2023”, developing progressively in the coming months, concludes Brussels.
The European Commission and the WHO will “work together to encourage maximum acceptance and participation throughout the world,” with “particular attention paid to opportunities for equitable participation for those most in need, low- and middle-income countries.”
The certificate, which accredits the (negative) tests, vaccination or recovery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, entered into force in the Union at the beginning of July 2021.
In 2022, the EU Member States agreed that people with a valid Covid-19 Certificate, such as vaccinated or recovered, should be excluded from additional restrictions on free movement, such as tests or quarantines, to facilitate travel within the community space. .
Source: TSF
