April 12 (UPI) — World Health Organization members are finalizing plans for nations to share life-saving technology with developing countries as part of a new pandemic preparation agreement.
Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the WHO in an executive order after he was inaugurated back into office on Jan. 20. Until then the U.S. had been participating in talks.
WHO’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body met Monday through Friday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyes, the director-general of WHO, was encouraged with the progress in preparing the report.
“The #PandemicAccord negotiations are still ongoing – the Member States have agreed to resume on Tuesday, after working through the night without any sleep for more than 24h non-stop,” he posted on X. “We’re very grateful for their commitment.”
The #PandemicAccord negotiations are still ongoing – the Member States have agreed to resume on Tuesday, after working through the night without any sleep for more than 24h non-stop. We’re very grateful for their commitment.
I’m deeply thankful to my colleagues, @WHO staff, who… pic.twitter.com/iCugLJboMk— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 12, 2025
Lawrence Gostin, the director of the O’Nell Institute at Georgetown, also was pleased.
“INB will end Tuesday ‘with several pieces to resolve,'” he posted on X. “Negotiators will clarify positions w/ their capitals Sticking points in tech transfer & PABS, but I’m optimistic the Pandemic Treaty has a path to adoption in May. It’d be a huge win for @WHO & global health.”
The 32-page latest draft of the proposal was obtained by Politico Europe.
Still to be resolved is the actual language involved in the sharing of technology for pandemic-related products such as drugs, vaccines and therapeutics.
WHO’s annual assembly of 192 nations is next month.
The plan includes early detection and control, strengthening better access to safe water and sanitation, better immunization programs, infection prevention and control, and surveillance.
“The Parties shall promote a One Health approach for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, recognizing the health of people is interconnected with animal health and the environment, that is coherent, integrated, coordinated and collaborative among all relevant organizations, sectors and actors, as appropriate in accordance with national and/or domestic law, and applicable international law and taking into account national circumstances.”
That includes a “rapid scale-up of the global production of pandemic-related health products.”
A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease with a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region.
“A pandemic can kill more people, and cause more social and economic disruption than a war,” Tedros said at the meeting on Monday. “Indeed, the first World War killed an estimated 15 to 22 million people, while the 1918 influenza pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people – more than double.”
The Covid-19 pandemic officially killed 7 million people but WHO estimates the toll to be 20 million since the virus was first detected in China in December 2019.
“And on top of the human cost, the pandemic wiped more than US$ 10 trillion from the global economy,” Tedros said.
Most nations are no longer tracking coronavirus cases, he said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic may now seem like a distant memory, overtaken by conflict and geopolitical and economic disruption,” Tedros said. “But the next pandemic will not wait until things calm down.
“It could happen in 20 years or more, or it could happen tomorrow. But it will happen, and either way, we must be ready. This is not a theoretical risk; it is an epidemiological certainty.”
There have been outbreaks of outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg virus disease, as well as the spread of avian influenza in birds, cattle, other animals and humans.
Trump has previously accused the organization of mismanaging the pandemic and announced a halt in funding to the WHO on April 14, 2020, during his first term in office. President Joe Biden reestablished relations with the organization.
