WHO Director-General Calls for Swift Agreement on Pandemic Accord

The head of the World Health Organization on Monday urged countries to quickly finalize a landmark global agreement on managing future pandemics after they missed a critical deadline, Arab News reported yesterday.

In the wake of the devastating impacts of COVID-19, countries have spent two years trying to forge binding commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

Despite the missed deadline ahead of this week’s World Health Assembly, Tedros Adhanom expressed confidence that an agreement will still be secured.

He acknowledged the immense technical, legal, and political challenges faced by negotiators, praising their tireless dedication to the process.

With the Assembly ongoing, he expressed hope that the global community will come together to strengthen the world’s capacity to handle future health emergencies.