The next pandemic is sure to come

At the beginning of April, everything seemed to be on track for Health and Social Security Minister Martine Deprez (CSV). The finalisation of the global pandemic agreement was planned for the 77th World Health Assembly, she replied to the last of the adr's parliamentary questions on the subject, which are received on a quasi-annual basis. But in the end it was not to come to that. The negotiations proved to be cumbersome and were therefore extended by a year. What is at stake and what are the stumbling blocks? Ten answers to the ten most pressing questions.

What is the pandemic treaty?

In December 2021, the World Health Assembly agreed to start negotiations on an international instrument to prevent pandemics or to be better prepared for this scenario. The World Health Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is made up of all 194 WHO member states.

Who negotiates?

The WHO member states have delegated the task of drawing up and negotiating a pandemic agreement to a special delegation (international negotiation body, INB). All regions of the world are represented in this body.

Where are the negotiations at?

The pandemic treaty was actually supposed to be presented to the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024. However, because the negotiations are proving difficult and, according to media reports, individual sentences are sometimes discussed for hours on end, the 194 states decided on 1 June in Geneva to extend the negotiating mandate by one year.