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🇭🇳 Honduras /Health & Science

WHO Assembly Concludes with Call for Cooperation Amid Ebola and Hantavirus Concerns

From Proceso Digital · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • The 79th World Health Assembly concluded with a call for global health cooperation, addressing outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola.
  • WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the organization's transformation and confidence in its future.
  • Key resolutions were adopted on neglected tropical diseases, emergency care, and hemophilia treatment, though negotiations on a pandemic agreement remain pending.

The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) concluded in Geneva with a strong call for continued global health cooperation, particularly in light of ongoing outbreaks of hantavirus and Ebola. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the assembly, highlighting the organization's recent transformations and expressing confidence in its future direction.

We have transformed the organization over the last few years to be the WHO the world needs and deserves, and in the past year we have restructured it to be capable, stable and sustainable. This is not a WHO in crisis, but one that moves forward with confidence and purpose.

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusDirector-General's closing remarks at the World Health Assembly, emphasizing the organization's progress and stability.

"We have transformed the organization over the last few years to be the WHO the world needs and deserves, and in the past year we have restructured it to be capable, stable and sustainable. This is not a WHO in crisis, but one that moves forward with confidence and purpose," Tedros stated in his closing remarks. He also thanked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for his presence and his emphasis on the need for multilateral cooperation, noting that "viruses do not understand borders, flags or passports."

During the assembly, several resolutions were adopted without a vote, including one acknowledging Argentina's departure from the organization while leaving the door open for cooperation. Resolutions were also passed to advance key health issues such as neglected tropical diseases, emergency care, and the treatment of hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Tedros stressed that progress requires "political commitment, sustained financing and continuous cooperation among member states, partners and communities."

viruses do not understand borders, flags or passports

— Pedro SánchezQuoted by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighting the need for multilateral cooperation in health.

Despite these achievements, a critical point remains unresolved: the finalization of the pandemic agreement reached in 2025. Tedros warned that without the crucial annex detailing pathogen sample sharing and equitable benefit distribution, "the world is not truly prepared for the next pandemic." The negotiation of this annex has been ongoing for months, underscoring the complex challenges in establishing a robust global framework for future health crises.

the world is not truly prepared for the next pandemic

— Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusWarning about the incomplete pandemic agreement and its implications for global preparedness.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Proceso Digital in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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