WHO DG: Next pandemic is ‘when, not if’

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, has warned that the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if, urging countries to apply lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic, described as the most severe global health crisis in a century, killed at least 20 million people and wiped more than $10 trillion from the global economy.

Ghebreyesus made the remarks on Friday during an online news conference, saying COVID-19 exposed and worsened existing weaknesses in global health security.

He said the crisis had also provided painful lessons that countries must learn from as they prepare for future health emergencies.

Ghebreyesus pointed to the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, saying it demonstrated that outbreaks could start anywhere and pose threats to neighbouring countries and the wider world.

He also cited the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, saying the incident showed why international threats require international responses.

He said cooperation between countries and partners, particularly Spain, contributed to containing and stopping the hantavirus outbreak.

According to the WHO chief, the organisation has introduced 12 key initiatives since the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen global health security across six major areas.

He listed the Pandemic Fund, established with the World Bank, and the Universal Health and Preparedness Review among the initiatives aimed at strengthening national preparedness.

He also highlighted the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin, established to improve disease surveillance and early warning systems.

Efforts to promote equitable access to vaccines and other health tools include COVAX, the mRNA Technology Transfer Programme and the Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Initiative, he said.

Ghebreyesus said the WHO BioHub in Switzerland was also established to support international sharing of pathogen samples and strengthen global preparedness.

He added that the Global Health Emergency Corps was created to strengthen countries’ capacity to respond effectively to health emergencies.

The WHO Director-General noted that Member States adopted amendments to the International Health Regulations in 2024, strengthening the international legal framework for preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics.

He said countries subsequently adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in 2025, describing it as a landmark international legal instrument for strengthening pandemic preparedness.

However, he said negotiations were still ongoing over the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which he described as the remaining component needed to complete the pandemic preparedness framework.

Ghebreyesus expressed confidence that countries would resolve their differences and reach an agreement on the system.

He said completing the negotiations was necessary for countries to begin ratifying the Pandemic Agreement and enable it to enter into force.

The WHO chief also dismissed misinformation that the Pandemic Agreement amounted to a “power grab” that would transfer national sovereignty to the organisation.

He said the agreement had been negotiated and adopted by sovereign countries in their own national interests, stressing that shared threats require shared responses.

Ghebreyesus said countries acting individually would not be able to effectively tackle pandemics, adding that the same principle was reflected in the political declaration under discussion at the UN high-level meeting.

According to him, the declaration contains commitments to concrete, measurable and urgent measures to close existing gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

He thanked WHO Member States for their commitment and commended Armenia and Rwanda, the co-chairs of the negotiations, for their leadership.

Ghebreyesus said WHO looked forward to the adoption of the declaration and would support countries in implementing their commitments.

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