WHO chief worried about missing deadline for pandemic accord

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends an ACANU briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, December 15, 2023. REUTERS FILE PHOTO

GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization on Monday voiced concern that countries may miss a May deadline to finish negotiations and adopt a legally binding pandemic treaty.

“I must say I’m concerned that member states may not meet that commitment,” said Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in an address to the global health agency’s Executive Board.

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“In my view, a failure to deliver the pandemic agreement and the IHR (International Health Regulations) amendments will be a missed opportunity for which future generations may not forgive us,” he said.