Speaking at the event, which will run until February 14th in Dubai, Ghebreyesus assured that despite having overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, the world continues to be unprepared to face this type of emergency. “The painful lessons we learned in that time are in danger of being forgotten as attention turns to many other crises,” he said, adding that if we fail to learn from those experiences, we will pay the price next time.

He also commented that a new health emergency will undoubtedly occur, but if we continue on the current path we would face the same problems as when SARS-CoV-2 appeared.

The CEO mentioned that for this reason, in December 2021 several countries agreed to sign an international agreement for pandemic preparedness and response, a binding legal pact to act together and stay safe, the text of which was to be completed for adoption at the WHO general assembly in May of this year.

However, two major obstacles have prevented achieving this goal so far: the first is a group of issues on which consensus has not been reached, something that can be solved if the countries listen to each other, he said.

The second are the lies and conspiracy theories surrounding the agreement, which mention that signing it will subject states to the WHO, compromises national sovereignty and is an attack on individual freedom, among other issues, he said.

“These lies would be funny if they were not so dangerous, but they put people’s health at risk and this is no laughing matter,” the Director General stressed, and emphasized that the agreement will not give powers to the WHO over any State or the individual freedom of people.

“In the world we live in, countries can only stay safe if they work together. We have nothing but a common future,” he stressed and urged us to consider that, when evaluating the agreement. “It is time to say no to inequality, lies, and misinformation, and yes to cooperation, equity, and solidarity,” he added.

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