The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed confidence that a global pandemic agreement will be finalized by May 2025, despite concerns over US participation under President-elect Donald Trump.
The World Health Organization (WHO) remains hopeful that a global pandemic agreement will be finalized by May 2025, despite some setbacks and concerns surrounding US participation under President-elect Donald Trump.
For the past two years, 194 WHO member states have been negotiating a global pact aimed at improving international cooperation in preventing and managing future health crises. The agreement follows lessons learned from the failures during the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the need for stronger preparedness and response mechanisms.
While an initial attempt to finalize the agreement failed earlier this year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus remains optimistic that a deal can be struck in time for the World Health Assembly next May. However, there are concerns that the Trump administration, which has questioned international health agreements in the past, may not fully support the deal.
Despite these concerns, Tedros emphasized the longstanding partnership between the WHO and the United States. He expressed confidence that this collaboration would continue, saying, "The relationship between WHO and the United States has been a good model of partnership for many years. We believe that this will continue, and US leaders understand that the US cannot be safe unless the rest of the world is safe."
In addition to the ongoing pandemic agreement negotiations, Tedros also addressed other significant health concerns. He provided an update on a mysterious illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 416 cases and 31 deaths have been reported, mostly among children. Initial tests have indicated the presence of malaria, but further investigations are underway to determine if other diseases could be involved.
Tedros also spoke about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria, where over a million people have been displaced in the last two weeks due to military offensives, adding to the millions already affected by the conflict. The WHO has been sending medical supplies to support hospitals in Syria, including 11 truckloads of trauma and surgical supplies to the Aleppo and Idlib regions.
Tedros assured that the WHO is increasing efforts to deliver essential medicines and supplies to affected areas, including Al-Mouwasat Hospital in Damascus.
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Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, following their first direct peace talks in over three years held in Istanbul.
Ten Baltic Sea NATO states and the EU signed a memorandum to enhance cooperation on protecting critical underwater infrastructure.
The World Bank has approved a $100 million concessional loan to Uzbekistan to help integrate renewable energy into power grids and enhance electricity reliability in key regions. The national grid operator will contribute an additional $50 million to the five-year program.
The sixth European Political Community summit opens this Friday in Tirana, Albania, bringing together 47 heads of state and EU institutions—alongside Türkiye, the UK, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine—to forge unified strategies on European security, defense and continued support for Ukraine.
Transport ministers from China and Central Asian countries signed two memoranda of understanding to enhance digitalization and streamline cross-border freight operations, aiming to unlock greater economic, trade, and humanitarian cooperation potential in the region.
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