The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has urged countries to work together to prevent future epidemics and pandemics.
Ghebreyesus made the call in a video posted on his official Twitter page: @DrTedros on Saturday.
He noted that working together through an agreed ‘Pandemic Accord’ can help countries to forestall and adequately prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.
He said, “The Pandemic Accord is an agreement between nations to work in cooperation with each other not in competition to prepare for and respond to epidemics and pandemics.
“It is essential to emphasise that this accord is negotiated by countries for countries and will be adapted and implemented by countries in accordance with their national laws.
“The claim by some that this accord is an infringement of national sovereignty is just plain wrong. Countries and countries alone will decide what is in the accord, not the staff of WHO.
“This accord will be an instrument of international law similar to the many other accords and treaties that nations have agreed. WHO’s role will be to help implement the accords that countries have agreed”.
He said looking back at the recent COVID-19 pandemic, it was imperative for WHO member countries to have an accord to prevent a future reoccurrence.
He said, “We wouldn’t forgive ourselves and our children and grandchildren wouldn’t forgive us if there is no accord by countries to prevent future pandemics”.
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