Moment of reckoning for pandemic agreement talks at WHO

GENEVA:

Negotiations toward a global agreement on tackling future pandemics came down to the wire Friday, with observers voicing hope that a consensus could be found to seal a landmark deal.

The outcome of the years-long talks taking place at the World Health Organization headquarters remained unclear, but optimism appeared to be building as the scheduled cutoff approached.

"There is a high chance that a consensus will be reached in the coming hours," Michelle Childs, head of policy advocacy at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), an NGO, told AFP.

Five years after Covid-19 killed millions of people -- and with new health threats lurking, from H5N1 bird flu to measles, mpox and Ebola -- pressure is rising on world leaders to secure an agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

"Having a framework that brings nations together and plans for the next pandemic will save thousands if not millions of lives," said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan.

But President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the WHO and his large-scale dismantling of US health institutes is a new threat to the global health risk surveillance system, experts say. Adding to the sense of urgency are drastic US cuts to foreign aid, which could exacerbate health emergencies worldwide.

"It's now or never," said Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

In December 2021, WHO member states resolved to seek a deal to prevent and prepare for future pandemics, to avoid mistakes made during Covid.

Major disputes have slowed negotiations, including on how to share data on dangerous pathogens, and whether the transfer of the technology and know-how to produce vaccines, tests and treatments should be mandatory or voluntary.

After 13 rounds of discussions, countries have been meeting at the WHO headquarters in Geneva for final negotiations this week, with a Friday night deadline to iron out remaining problems. The aim is to have a text ready for final approval during the WHO's annual assembly next month.