At the start of the 13th meeting of intergovernmental negotiating bodies on the WHO pandemic agreement, he repeatedly reiterated the disastrous consequences of Covid-19 outbreaks around the world, emphasizing that “the next pandemic will not wait until things settle.” According to the WHO chief, its appearance is “not a theoretical risk, it is epidemiological certainty.” He reiterated that another pandemic “can happen for over 20 years or it could happen tomorrow.” “But it happens. Either way, we need to be ready,” Ghebreyesus insisted.
“We have seen what the Covid-19 pandemic has done, officially 7 million people have died, but we estimate that the true casualties are 20 million.
The WHO Chief expressed his hope that a consensus could be reached during consultations on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. He assured that “the agreement will never infringe on the sovereignty of the Member States. In fact, the opposite: it will strengthen national sovereignty and international action.”
The 77th World Health Parliament, held in Geneva from May 27th to June 1st, 2024, agreed to introduce amendments to international health regulations and continue consultations on the pandemic agreement.
The public health emergency of international concerns due to Covid-19 was effective from late January 2020 to May 5, 2023. According to the WHO, as of March 23, 2025, 777,684,506 coronavirus infections are registered worldwide, with 7,092,720 fatalities.
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