Countries around the world have set a deadline of next May to produce a final draft of a global treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response — a major step in efforts to strengthen the global architecture around health security.
During the World Health Assembly held in Geneva in May there were calls for countries to meet this deadline because another pandemic could be just around the corner.
“I urge you to deliver the pandemic accord on time as a generational commitment. The next pandemic will not wait for us, and we must be ready,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said.
But it's not an easy feat ensuring the world’s countries are on the same page and willing to compromise in a meaningful way — raising questions around whether that deadline is realistic.