The World Health Organisation and Brazil have called on world leaders to finalise a crucial international agreement to prevent future pandemics.

WHO and Brazil made the call in a joint letter issued on Monday.

Penned by Brazilian President Luiz da Silva and WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus, the message underscored a shared global responsibility to prevent a repeat of the devastation seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to them, COVID -19 claimed up to 20 million lives and wiped out 13 trillion in global economic output.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, hospitals were overwhelmed, families lost loved ones in isolation, and frontline healthcare workers endured unprecedented strain.

This collective trauma birthed a promise among nations: to never again face a pandemic unprepared, they wrote.

Over a year ago, countries made significant strides by adopting the WHO Pandemic Agreement, committing to cooperate more effectively in preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics.

“In a divided world, that outcome was not to be taken for granted,” the letter stated. “It was an act of hope and an act of faith in one another. We write to you now because that hope is not yet fulfilled and because it lies within your hands to help fulfil it.”

Standing in the way is the pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex, a vital element of the agreement, which remains incomplete, Messrs Lula and Ghebreyesus wrote.

This framework is essential for enabling countries to quickly identify and share genetic information of dangerous pathogens so that scientists can develop lifesaving tests, treatments and vaccines.

Without the annex, the Pandemic Agreement could not formally come into force, leaving the promise unfulfilled, the joint message stated.

The challenges in finalising the PABS annex are complex, particularly around defining how the benefits of shared pathogens are equitably distributed and how governance ensures fairness.

These were the very questions left unresolved previously, contributing to gaps in protection during COVID-19.

Negotiators are scheduled to meet again from July 6 to 17 to close these gaps.

(NAN)