The COVID-19 pandemic represented the worst global health crisis in a hundred years, claiming no fewer than 20 million lives and removing over 10 trillion dollars from the world economy.
During an online news conference on Friday, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that the pandemic laid bare and deepened vulnerabilities in global health security, while delivering hard lessons to the world.
He stressed that nations need to take those lessons to heart, since the arrival of the next pandemic is not a matter of if, but of when.
Ghebreyesus pointed out that the continuing Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo demonstrated how outbreaks can emerge anywhere and endanger neighbouring nations and the broader world.
He likewise pointed to the recent hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius as proof that global threats demand global responses.
According to him, collaboration between countries and partners, especially Spain, was instrumental in bringing the hantavirus outbreak under control and halting it.
Ghebreyesus said that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO has set up 12 key initiatives aimed at bolstering global health security in six major areas.
He explained that these initiatives encompass the Pandemic Fund, launched with the World Bank, and the Universal Health and Preparedness Review, both intended to reinforce national preparedness capacities.
He added that WHO also created the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin to bolster disease surveillance and early warning systems.
He stated that measures to enhance fair access to vaccines and other health tools comprised COVAX, the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme and the Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Initiative.
Ghebreyesus said WHO had further set up the BioHub in Switzerland to encourage international sharing of pathogen samples and reinforce global preparedness.
He stated that the Global Health Emergency Corps was created to bolster countries’ ability to respond effectively to health emergencies.
He observed that Member States adopted amendments to the International Health Regulations in 2024, thereby reinforcing the international legal framework for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
He said countries likewise adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in 2025, which he described as a landmark international legal instrument for strengthening global pandemic preparedness.
The WHO chief said the outstanding element was the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which countries were still negotiating in order to finalise the pandemic preparedness framework.
He stated that the Global Health Emergency Corps was created to bolster countries’ ability to respond effectively to health emergencies.
He observed that Member States adopted amendments to the International Health Regulations in 2024, thereby reinforcing the international legal framework for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
He said countries likewise adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in 2025, which he described as a landmark international legal instrument for strengthening global pandemic preparedness.
The WHO chief said the outstanding element was the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which countries were still negotiating in order to finalise the pandemic preparedness framework.
He voiced confidence that countries would resolve their remaining differences and come to an agreement on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system.
He stated that reaching an agreement was vital so that countries could start ratifying the Pandemic Agreement and bring it into force.
Ghebreyesus dismissed misinformation that depicted the Pandemic Agreement as a “power grab” meant to hand national sovereignty over to WHO.
He noted that the agreement had been negotiated and adopted by sovereign countries pursuing their own national interests, emphasizing that shared threats demand shared responses.
He remarked that a strategy in which each country acted alone would fail against pandemics, pointing out that the same principle formed the basis of the political declaration under discussion at the UN high-level meeting.
In his view, the declaration includes commitments to concrete, measurable and urgent action aimed at closing existing gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
He expressed gratitude to WHO Member States for their commitment and praised Armenia and Rwanda, as co-chairs, for steering negotiations on the political declaration.↻
Ghebreyesus said WHO anticipated the declaration’s adoption and would assist countries in carrying out the commitments they had made.
