The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called on Member State Ambassadors of intergovernmental negotiating bodies to prioritize the establishment of a pandemic agreement. Speaking to the ambassadors, Dr. Ghebreyesus highlighted the urgent need for global cooperation to address the challenges of an increasingly unpredictable world.
Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized that the world is undergoing rapid and unprecedented changes that have far-reaching effects on various aspects of society. He noted that these changes are impacting multilateralism, humanitarian efforts, development, and global health, and that it is impossible to predict where the world will be in the next year, or even the next decade.
“The world is changing at a scale and pace unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Dr. Ghebreyesus said. “We are witnessing a period of tremendous upheaval, and its implications are profound. We cannot foresee where it is headed, or what the world will look like even a year from now, let alone in 10 years.”
He stressed that the unpredictability of the world today underlined the importance of creating a pandemic agreement. “That’s exactly why we need the pandemic agreement – an agreement for an unpredictable world,” he explained, urging global leaders to act now and build frameworks that will safeguard future global health responses.
The call for a pandemic agreement comes as the world continues to recover from the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and faces the possibility of future health crises. Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized that only through collaborative international efforts and binding agreements can countries effectively navigate the uncertainties of a rapidly evolving global landscape.
