Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks sign of our ‘dangerous’ times — WHO

Hundreds of jobs have been eliminated, programs have been reduced, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider noted in her address.The WHO had to, and was able to, undergo profound reform in the midst of the emergency.Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, also suggested WHO had weathered the storm, and that the hantavirus crisis provided a clear illustration of why the world needs an effective, trusted, impartial, reliably-funded WHO, she added.On the first day of the assembly, countries refused once again to add the thorny issue of a request from Taiwan, which China claims is part of its territory, to regain the observer status it held between 2009 and 2016.Other sensitive issues on the table include Ukraine, the Palestinian territories and Iran, which could spark heated debate.Disagreement between wealthy and developing nations has meanwhile blocked closure on the WHO's landmark 2025 pandemic treaty.Countries had aimed to finalise during this year's assembly a key annex to the agreement, which deals with sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential, then sharing benefits derived from them such as vaccines, tests and treatments.But they appeared set to grant themselves another year to finalise stalled negotiations.It also remains unclear what, if anything, will be decided on the withdrawal of the United States and Argentina.US President Donald Trump handed in a one-year notice to withdraw from WHO on his first day back in office in January 2025. Argentina soon followed suit.The WHO, whose constitution does not include a withdrawal clause, has not confirmed either withdrawal.The United States reserved the right to withdraw when it joined the WHO in 1948 — on condition of giving one year's notice and meeting its financial obligations in full for that fiscal year.While the notice period has expired, Washington has still not paid its 2024 or 2025 dues, owing around US260 million.When WHO's executive board met in January, Israel submitted a resolution to approve Argentina's withdrawal — something countries are expected to discuss during the assembly — but not a word was said about the US.Diplomats and observers indicated there was broad agreement that it would be better to maintain a grey zone around the US status.Much of this week's discussions will centre on whether to launch a formal reform process for the so-called global health architecture — a mishmash of organisations that do not always work together and often overlap.Six years after the last global pandemic, COVID-19, the world health architecture is changing rapidly, Ghana President John Dramani Mahama told the assembly.We are witnessing the end of an era. We must have the courage to build the next one.