WHO: Historic agreement on pandemic preparedness

After three years of intense negotiations, member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have reached a consensus on a historic text aimed at preparing for and responding to future pandemics, AFP reports. "This marks an important milestone in our common journey towards a safer world. You have made history," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates. The agreement will be subject to formal approval at the World Health Assembly in May, but the consensus already reached represents a crucial moment for international cooperation in public health.

• A victory for multilateralism

The final text was approved after a final round of marathon negotiations, marking a moment of euphoria among WHO delegates. "By reaching this consensus, states have established a generational agreement for global security and demonstrated that, despite a divided world, nations can work together to respond to common threats," Ghebreyesus stressed. The agreement comes five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused millions of deaths and had a devastating impact on the global economy. According to the WHO, the world remains vulnerable to a new pandemic, and this text aims to change that.

• Technology transfer - one of the central stakes

The negotiations were difficult, especially around the transfer of technology related to the production of vaccines and other health products. Developing countries insisted on the need for equitable access, evoking inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic, when rich countries monopolized vaccine doses.

After much debate, a compromise formula was reached, which provides for the transfer of technology agreed upon, maintaining a voluntary nature, but assuming the principle of cooperation.

• A global system for access to medical products

The agreement introduces a new mechanism: the "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS), designed to ensure a more equitable distribution of medical products derived from pathogens - such as vaccines, tests and treatments. The text also aims to expand global supply and logistics networks to respond more effectively in the event of a crisis. "It is a historic agreement for health security, equity and international solidarity," said Anne-Claire Amprou, France's ambassador for global health and co-chair of the negotiation process.

• "The virus can be worse than a war"

Ghebreyesus warned of the consequences of inaction, arguing that a dangerous virus can have more devastating effects than an armed conflict: "The cost of inaction is much higher. The virus is the worst enemy - it can be worse than a war." The agreement comes in a difficult context for multilateralism and international cooperation, marked by geopolitical crises and the US withdrawal from the WHO during the Trump administration, which generated tensions and a funding gap.