The head of the World Health Organization called for the rapid launch of global negotiations to reach agreement on an international treaty on pandemic prevention as part of the comprehensive reforms envisaged by member states.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at his annual ministerial meeting on Monday that the United Nations health agency faces “serious challenges” to maintain its COVID-19 response measures at current levels and requires sustainable and flexible funding.

Earlier in the day, the health ministers agreed to study ambitious reform proposals put forward by independent experts to strengthen the capacity of WHO and countries to contain the new virus.

The ministers of the 194 member states of the WHO will meet on November 29 to decide whether to start negotiations on a pandemic treaty.

“I think one of the recommendations that can best strengthen WHO and global health security is the recommendation on a pandemic preparedness and response treaty, which can also strengthen relations between member states and promote cooperation. This is a ripe idea. ,” Tedros said.

In the closing speech of the WHO Virtual Annual Health Assembly, Tedros said that “lack of sharing of data, information, pathogens, technology and resources” is a decisive feature of the pandemic.

“A kind of [pandemic] The treaty will promote improvements in sharing, trust and accountability, and lay a solid foundation for the establishment of other global health security mechanisms. “

In the 73-year history of WHO, only two international treaties have been negotiated under the auspices of WHO: the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the 2005 International Health Regulations.

According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the coronavirus has infected more than 170 million people and killed nearly 3.6 million people.

Provide more funding to WHO

On the last day of the week-long conference, WHO member states agreed in a 14-page resolution to “strengthen WHO’s ability to quickly and appropriately assess disease outbreaks that may cause global concern”.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the conference: “We must strengthen global (disease) surveillance and provide the World Health Organization with the power and ability to carry out this important work for people all over the world.”

According to the findings of the three independent teams reported to the General Assembly, it is sad that countries and institutions are unprepared for COVID-19. They called for a comprehensive reform of the global warning system and called for a stronger and more independent WHO to help avoid future pandemics.

One of the reports found that United Nations agencies have been too slow in declaring so-called public health emergencies of international concern. The WHO sounded the highest level of alarm on January 30, 2020.

After several days of discussion, the members agreed to set up a new working group to study and streamline the many recommendations in the report, and put forward specific recommendations for consideration by the conference next year.

The text calls on Member States to “ensure that adequate, flexible, sustainable and predictable funding is provided for the WHO programme budget.”

Only about 16% of the WHO budget comes from regular dues, and the rest comes from voluntary contributions and earmarked funds.

Monday’s resolution also called on all countries to strengthen their core public health capabilities and enhance their ability to detect new threats and effectively spread these threats at home and abroad.

Mike Ryan, WHO’s director of emergency situations, welcomed these decisions. He said: “Now pathogens have the upper hand. They appear more frequently on an out-of-balance planet, and often appear quietly.

He said: “We need to transform what has exposed us to this pandemic, our interconnection into a force.”

Chile’s ambassador Frank Tressler Zamorano, representing 60 countries, said that an epidemic treaty would help “response to the calls of many experts and reset the system”.

At the same time, the resolution did not explicitly support the expert’s suggestion that, without waiting for the country to give the green light, a broader power to the WHO to investigate or communicate about health threats.