By TheDailyNewsHub Reporter
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) highlights the urgent need for countries to complete an international pandemic treaty to strengthen global preparedness against future health emergencies.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the call on Monday, November 2, 2026, as negotiations towards finalising the agreement resumed in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tedros urged countries to resolve outstanding disagreements and complete the treaty, stressing that infectious disease threats can quickly spread beyond national borders.
He said the Ebola crisis and other recent disease outbreaks demonstrated that no country could adequately protect itself from pandemics without international cooperation.
The pandemic agreement was adopted in May 2025 following lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, negotiations remain incomplete over a key component known as the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system.
The mechanism is designed to establish how countries share information and access to pathogens with pandemic potential, while ensuring that benefits arising from such sharing, including vaccines, diagnostic tests and treatments, are distributed fairly.
Tedros warned that inequalities experienced during COVID-19, when wealthier countries secured large vaccine supplies ahead of poorer nations, must not be repeated.
He described the outstanding PABS negotiations as the final major obstacle to completing the agreement, urging governments to prioritise public health over competing national interests.
The ninth meeting towards finalising the agreement opened in Geneva on Monday, with countries expected to address disagreements surrounding equitable access to medical products and the sharing of pathogen information.
The appeal comes as the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus continues to challenge health authorities in the DRC, where insecurity, weak healthcare infrastructure and limited access to affected communities have complicated containment efforts.
The WHO has repeatedly called for increased international funding, stronger surveillance systems, improved laboratory capacity and greater community participation to contain the outbreak.
Tedros maintained that completing the pandemic treaty would strengthen international cooperation and help ensure that countries, regardless of their economic resources, have fair access to life-saving medical interventions during future health emergencies.