WHO chief: Pandemic treaty ‘mission critical for humanity’

Despite lessons that should have been learned during COVID-19, the world is unprepared for the next pandemic, be it an influenza virus, another coronavirus, or “Disease X”—a term the organization has used since 2018 to refer to a yet-unknown pandemic pathogen, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, speaking virtually from Geneva at the summit, held in Coventry, England.

Already, the world was unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic—and because of this, “the poorest countries were left behind, waiting for scraps,” he said, regarding access to tests, therapeutics, and vaccines.

“We cannot allow the same thing to happen next time, and there will be a next time,” he warned.

WHO member states met in Geneva in 2022 and agreed to develop an international agreement on pandemic preparation and response that would become international law, “a legally binding pact between countries working together,” Ghebreyesus said.

A draft has been developed after “extensive consultations” with member states, public health experts, academic groups, and citizens, and public hearings have been held regarding it, he said. Countries have set themselves a deadline to agree on that draft, ahead of the annual World Health Assembly, to be held May 27 through June 1 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Treaty not unprecedented in scope, WHO chief says

But two major obstacles stand in the way of agreement, Ghebreyesus said. One, a group of issues that, though not insurmountable, need further negotiation. The second: “a torrent of fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories.”

Among them, he said: that the agreement is a “power grab by the WHO” and a “conspiracy” that would give the…