WHO members agree to landmark deal on tackling future pandemics

By AFP 16 April 2025, 9:15 am 2 Edit

A handout photograph taken and released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on April 16, 2025 shows Co-chair of the negotiations and French ambassador for Global Health Anne-Claire Amprou (L) and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus after a consensus on the Pandemic Agreement at the WHO headquarters. (Christopher BLACK / World Health Organization / AFP)

GENEVA, Switzerland — Years of negotiations culminate with countries agreeing to the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the COVID-19 crisis.

After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization’s headquarters finally sealed the deal at around 2 a.m. (0000 GMT).

“Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says.

“The nations of the world made history in Geneva today.”

Five years after the emergence of Covid-19, which killed millions of people, devastated economies, and upturned health systems, a sense of urgency hung over the talks, with new threats lurking — including H5N1 bird flu, measles, mpox, and Ebola.

The final stretch of the talks also took place under the shadow of cuts to US foreign aid spending and threatened tariffs on pharmaceuticals.