WHO Chief Confident in the Inevitability of a New Pandemic.

WHO Director-General: The Next Pandemic Will Not Wait

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the opening of the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body reminded of the serious consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and warned that the next pandemic will happen sooner or later. He emphasized that a new pandemic is not a theoretical risk but an epidemic certainty. The WHO Director-General assured that we must be prepared for its emergence.

According to official data, 7 million people died from Covid-19, but the actual death toll is estimated at 20 million. The pandemic also wiped out over $10 trillion in the global economy. Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in the possibility of reaching a consensus in negotiations regarding a pandemic agreement. He also assured that such a treaty will not limit the sovereignty of any WHO member state; on the contrary, it will strengthen national sovereignty and international actions.

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, established in 2021 to develop a pandemic agreement, continues its work. It is set to be completed at the 78th Assembly in 2025. Earlier, Ghebreyesus expressed concern that misinformation circulating on the internet could hinder the work on the treaty and discredit it as a limitation of the sovereignty of countries.

The state of emergency in global health due to Covid-19 lasted from 2020 to 2023. According to the latest WHO data, there have been over 777 million confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and over 7 million deaths worldwide. The UN also published a report indicating a sharp increase in mortality among pregnant women and mothers during the pandemic.