Anti-pandemic agreement approved by WHO members

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Keystone-SDA

The historic agreement to better prepare the world for future pandemics has been formally approved in Geneva.

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The members of the World Health Organization (WHO) approved it on Tuesday without a vote. But further steps need to be taken before it can be signed.

As early as Monday, the lights were on green with a broad approval in committee, by 124 votes to no opposition and 11 abstentions.

But after three years of sometimes arduous negotiations and a draft agreement finalised a few weeks ago, not everything is settled. While the United States did not participate, in their resolution the members established a new working group to draw up an annex on the modalities of the new system of access to pathogens and benefit sharing (PABS).

This discussion could take between one and two years, according to various sources. Only then can the agreement be signed. It will enter into force one month after 60 countries have ratified it.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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