The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Saturday that talks to create a global plan for fighting pandemics should be finished by 2025, or earlier if possible.
For the past two years, the WHO’s 194 member countries have been working on an agreement to improve how they work together before and during pandemics.
The WHO had hoped to reach an agreement by this week, but the talks were extended because there are still big disagreements between rich and poorer countries, especially about sharing vaccines and being prepared for pandemics.
However, they did make progress on updating the existing International Health Regulations (IHR), which are legally binding. This update includes a new alert system to respond to global health emergencies.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The historic decisions taken today demonstrate a common desire by member states to protect their own people, and the world’s, from the shared risk of public health emergencies and future pandemics.”