The World Health Organization’s governing body is scheduled to meet on May 27 to discuss a critically needed plan for global pandemic preparedness.
The organization’s 194 members began discussing a global agreement more than two years ago, as the ravages wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic became apparent, but a pact intended to ensure equitable resources for all member countries has thus far failed to generate an accord.
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As the meeting looms, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has sounded the alarm that the organization has hit a wall in its push for an agreement.
Supporters of the agreement in its current form say the plan is essential to protecting humankind from catastrophic outbreaks by ensuring that all nations have the capacity to detect and share information on emerging or evolving pathogens and the ability to provide timely access to tests, treatments, and vaccines. While accepting that an agreement is necessary, some critics have aired concerns that the proposal, in its present form, could give WHO unfettered power to impose severe measures.
