The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its call for countries to conclude a global pandemic agreement, citing the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other recent disease emergencies as reminders of the need for stronger international preparedness.
Addressing the ninth round of negotiations in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged participating nations to resolve their remaining differences and complete the agreement.
The key unresolved issue is the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) mechanism, which aims to establish rules for sharing pathogens with pandemic potential and ensuring equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments developed from them.
The Pandemic Agreement, adopted in May 2025, established a framework for international cooperation but left the operational details of the PABS system for further negotiations.
Tedros highlighted the inequalities witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when vaccines became available rapidly but many countries faced delays in accessing supplies while wealthier nations secured larger quantities.
He warned that such disparities had cost lives and prolonged the pandemic, stressing that infectious disease threats could cross national borders and affect populations worldwide.
The WHO chief said finalising the agreement was essential to strengthening global cooperation and ensuring a more equitable response to future health emergencies.
