No country can face the next pandemic alone, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, three days after the United States officially announced it would no longer participate in the negotiations. “We are at a crucial moment as you prepare to finalize the pandemic agreement in time for the World Health Assembly.” in May, Mr Tedros noted, at the opening of the thirteenth round of negotiations at the WHO headquarters in Geneva.
"It's really now or never"
"It really is now or never. But I am confident that you will choose 'now' because you know what is at stake," he said. This new week of negotiations aims to finalize the agreement before the major annual meeting in May of all WHO member states.
In December 2021, WHO member countries agreed to develop an agreement on pandemic prevention and preparedness to avoid the serious mistakes of COVID. But major issues remain, including sharing data on emerging pathogens and the benefits that come with them, namely vaccines, tests and treatments, as well as pandemic surveillance.
Read also17 pathogens for which vaccines are “urgently needed”
“The next pandemic is not a question of if, but when”
“You remember the hard-won lessons of Covid-19, which killed about 20 million people” of dead "and that continues to kill. That is why we are here: to protect future generations from the impact of future pandemics.", Mr Tedros said on Monday. “The next pandemic is not a question of if, but when. There are reminders all around us: Ebola, Marburg, measles, mpox, influenza and the threat of the next one disease X“ , he continued.
Hours after returning to the White House, Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from the WHO. His order stipulates that Washington will stop negotiating during the withdrawal phase, which is expected to last one year. Mr. Tedros explained on Monday that Washington had formally notified the WHO on Friday of its withdrawal from the negotiations.
Read also'WHO ripped us off': Trump signs executive order to withdraw US from World Health Organization
"No country can protect itself alone. Bilateral agreements will only go so far," warned the head of the WHO, who hopes that Washington will reverse its decisions.
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