Recent deadly outbreaks show the urgent need to complete an international pandemic agreement, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at negotiations in Geneva. He pointed to Ebola Bundibugyo spreading in Africa, the continuing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a hantavirus outbreak earlier this year.
Countries adopted the agreement in May 2025 as a framework for responding to future pandemics like COVID-19. However, wealthy and developing countries remain divided over how a central system should operate. They left this difficult question unresolved when they approved the wider agreement.
The Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system concerns access to pathogens, such as viruses, that could cause pandemics. It also covers the distribution of vaccines, tests and treatments developed from them. Tedros warned that a disease threat in one place could threaten people in every country.
He recalled that COVID-19 vaccines were developed in record time, but many countries waited while others obtained more than they needed. Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, also called for rapid sharing of samples and data alongside fair access to medical products. He said countries had repeatedly raised concerns about timely access to vaccines and affordable medicines.
