193 UN Member States Move Against Pandemic Surge.

By Ferdinand Olise

The Director-General, World Health Organization, WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the one hundred and ninety three, Member States of the United Nations have approved the political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
The WHO Director General in a statement, said the declaration is a strong signal from countries that they are committed to learning the lessons from COVID-19 pandemic, hence the hunger to strengthen the world’s defences against pandemics.

According to him, for too long, the world has operated on a cycle of panic and neglect, stating that, it is sad that, when an epidemic or pandemic strikes, countries respond in a crisis mode, and when it passes, they soon forget implications from the crisis, fail to learn the lessons that could prevent or mitigate the next epidemic or pandemic and move on to a next crisis,

“We owe it to those we have lost to learn the painful lessons COVID-19 has taught us, and to make the changes that will keep our children and grandchildren safer from the pandemics of the future. Because we know that the next pandemic is a question of when, not if, he said.

He further stated that, in the declaration approved Member States have demonstrated that even at the time of division and polarisation, it is still possible for countries to come together and agree on a shared response to shared threats.

“It is that same spirit of collaboration that we urge countries to demonstrate as they continue their negotiations on the Pandemic Accord, and the amendments to the International Health Regulations.

‘COVID-19 is a devastating reminder that for everything that divides us, we are one humanity, sharing one planet.” he added.