Pandemic Accord, Tightened Budget on Menu at Big WHO Meet
Next week promises to be a crucial one for the World Health Organization, with member states coming together in Geneva to adopt a landmark pandemic agreement and a slimmed-down budget amid US funding cuts.
Dozens of high-ranking officials and thousands of delegates are set to gather for the United Nations health agency’s annual decision-making assembly, due to last from May 19 to 27.
“This huge gathering comes… at a pivotal moment for global health,” Catharina Boehme, WHO’s assistant director-general for external relations and governance, told reporters.
It comes as countries are confronting “emerging threats and major shifts in the landscape for global health and international development”, she said.
More than five years after the emergence of Covid-19, which killed millions of people, much of the focus next week will be on the expected adoption of a hard-won international agreement on how to better protect against and tackle future pandemics.
After more than three years of negotiations, countries reached consensus on a text last month but final approval by the World Health Assembly is needed — a discussion expected to take place on Tuesday.
