The World Health Organization (WHO) and Brazil are urging global leaders to complete a landmark international agreement designed to strengthen the world’s ability to prevent and respond to future pandemics.
In a joint appeal, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the need for countries to avoid repeating the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused millions of deaths and severe economic disruption worldwide.
The call follows the adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, a major step toward improving global cooperation on pandemic preparedness. However, the agreement cannot fully take effect until countries complete negotiations on the pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) framework.
The PABS system is intended to ensure that countries can quickly share information about dangerous pathogens while creating fair rules for access to vaccines, treatments, and other medical tools developed from that research. Supporters say the framework is essential for building trust and ensuring that all countries benefit from global health cooperation.
Negotiators are expected to continue discussions in July to resolve remaining challenges, including how benefits should be shared and how the system can operate fairly across nations.
WHO and Brazil emphasized that political commitment, international cooperation, and urgency are needed to finalize the agreement. They noted that future outbreaks remain a serious risk due to environmental changes, emerging diseases, and evolving health threats.
The leaders warned that delays could leave the world vulnerable to another major health crisis. They called the completion of the Pandemic Agreement a necessary step toward stronger global preparedness and a safer future.
