UN pandemic preparedness push stalls as nations fail to agree on declaration

Six years after COVID-19 pushed the UN General Assembly's annual leaders' meeting online for the first time, pandemics have slipped down the global agenda. Wars, natural disasters, geopolitical rifts and artificial intelligence now command the attention of world leaders.

On Friday, the General Assembly's president and health officials tried to keep the threat of another global disease emergency in view, convening a day-long meeting on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response.

Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said COVID-19 can feel like a "fever dream" of lockdowns, overwhelmed hospitals, closed schools, economic turmoil and personal loss. Recalling sleepless nights while his physician daughter treated coronavirus patients, he said the world cannot pretend the crisis never happened and must examine where it succeeded and where it failed. He noted the urgency was underscored by the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, now spreading in Congo.

Since the pandemic's peak, new international funds, scientific programmes and agreements have emerged to better address pandemic threats. Yet deep divisions persist, and they surfaced clearly on Friday when countries could not reach consensus on a declaration meant to cap the special meeting. Rahman said members would take up the document in the future.

The draft declaration, which reiterates an intent to scale up preparedness and improve coordination within and among countries, calls for enhanced financing, stronger laboratory capacity and expanded access to medicines and vaccines. It also endorses efforts to counter vaccine hesitancy and health misinformation, ensure gender-equal policies and guarantee universal access to family planning and sexual health services by 2030.

Supporters said the document would strengthen collaboration, risk monitoring and readiness for a threat that crosses borders. Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, co-chair of an independent panel on pandemic preparedness created after COVID-19 emerged, said the declaration could help the world move forward. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it contained important commitments to concrete, measurable and urgent action.

Countries including South Korea, Cape Verde and Guatemala backed the text, which was facilitated by Armenia and Rwanda. Burundi's foreign minister, Edouard Bizimana, speaking for a group of African nations, called it an expression of solidarity and international cooperation. A Caribbean countries' association also supported it.

Others withheld support. The European Union said the document fell short on financing accountability and efficiency, among other concerns. Germany sought a stronger emphasis on prevention. The United States objected to references to "divisive ideologies" and to a proposed separate arrangement for countries to share virus samples in exchange for tests, medicines and vaccines.

That potential deal is under negotiation as a follow-on to a pandemic agreement approved by WHO member countries last year. The United States has withdrawn from the WHO and was not part of finalising the pandemic treaty.