Sawt Falasteen - WHO chief urges pandemic accord action after US withdrawal

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said no country could protect itself from the next pandemic on its own -- three days after US President Donald Trump's administration told the UN health agency it was leaving the pandemic agreement talks.

"We are at a crucial point as you move to finalise the pandemic agreement in time for the World Health Assembly" in May, Tedros told WHO members at the opening of the week-long 13th round of negotiations in Geneva.

"It really is a case of now or never. But I am confident that you will choose 'now' because you know what is at stake.

"You remember the hard-won lessons of Covid-19, which left an estimated 20 million of our brothers and sisters dead, and which continues to kill."

A further one-week session is planned before the WHO's annual assembly.

The process began in December 2021, when, fearing a repeat of Covid-19 -- which killed millions of people, crippled health systems and crashed economies -- countries decided to draft an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

- Next pandemic 'when, not if' -

After returning to office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order to start the one-year process of withdrawing from the WHO, an organisation he has repeatedly criticised over its handling of Covid-19.

The order added that Washington would "cease negotiations" on the pandemic agreement.

Tedros said Washington had formally notified the WHO on Friday of its withdrawal from the talks.

"The next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. There are reminders all around us -- Ebola, Marburg, measles, mpox, influenza and the threat of the next disease X," he said.

"No country can protect itself by itself. Bilateral agreements will only get you so far," Tedros added.

"Like the decision to withdraw from WHO, we regret this decision and we hope the US will reconsider," he said.

- System 'under siege' -

Non-governmental organisations following the pandemic agreement process urged remaining member states to get the accord finished.

Pandemic Action Network said: "Despite geopolitical and policy challenges, do not walk away from this vital mission."

Spark Street Advisors, a health sector consultancy, said the world had changed since the last negotiations in December, with the global multilateral system "under siege".

"This is why member states cannot afford to fail this week. In this new reality meant to reverse decades of progress, the pandemic agreement is a concrete action against this great dismantling," it said.

While much of the draft text has been agreed, disputes remain over sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential and the sharing of benefits derived from them -- vaccines, tests and treatments.

Talks co-chair Precious Matsoso expressed hoped that proposed new wording would ensure a breakthrough. "Let's make sure that the three years that we've spent does not end up being regretted -- that we wasted three years of our time," she said.

Q.Najjar--SF-PST