WHO Director-General calls for completion of the pandemic treaty amid the Ebola outbreak: “No country can protect itself alone”

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday called for the urgent completion of the international pandemic treaty, amid the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to reach an agreement at the Geneva meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, which runs until November 13.

The agreement, adopted in May 2025, establishes the framework for managing future pandemics, but cannot enter into force without completing the annex on access to pathogens and benefit-sharing (PABS). The document must regulate the distribution of biological materials with pandemic potential and the resulting benefits, such as vaccines, tests and treatments.

Tedros warned that the Ebola outbreak, which has caused nearly 5,000 deaths and more than 10,000 infections, as well as a hantavirus outbreak that resulted in three deaths, demonstrate the risks that exist. He stressed that no country can protect itself alone and recalled the inequalities in vaccine distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions on PABS are continuing after eight meetings held since July 2025.