Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Global health officials, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have called on world leaders to finalise the Pandemic Agreement to better prevent future health crises. Their joint letter highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic caused up to 20 million deaths and an estimated $13 trillion in global economic losses, underscoring the need to avoid such devastation again.
The shared goal among nations, stated over a year ago, was to improve cooperation in pandemic prevention, preparation, and response. The WHO Pandemic Agreement was created with this aim; however, a key component, the pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) annex, remains incomplete. This annex is critical for rapid identification and sharing of genetic information from dangerous pathogens, enabling the timely development of diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines.
President Lula and Director-General Tedros stressed that without the PABS annex, the agreement cannot take effect, and pandemic preparedness remains unfulfilled. The delay is due to unresolved issues around equitable benefit distribution and governance, which were also challenges during the COVID-19 response.
The letter calls for strong political will, emphasizing that the agreement respects national sovereignty and does not grant WHO authority to enforce measures like lockdowns or vaccination mandates. It urges negotiators to reach a bold consensus and commit to fairness, recognizing that rapid pathogen sharing depends on equity among countries.
Negotiators are scheduled to meet from 6 to 17 July to address these remaining challenges and strengthen global pandemic protection.