Labour Party CEO Randolph De Battista met with Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus about a new pandemic agreement.

“It’s a matter of WHEN not IF the world faces another pandemic. The new pandemic agreement pushed forward by the World Health Organisation will save lives,” De Battista wrote on LinkedIn.

“I had the privilege to speak to Ghebreyesus about the importance of this agreement for island states like Malta and asked him to give us the tools to fight the misinformation campaign against the amazing work of the WHO.”

“It was also great to meet Dr Pascale Allotey again! Dr Allotey heads the WHO’s Human Reproduction Programme. We spoke about further collaboration in the near future. Always happy to collaborate with friends at the World Health Organization to ensure that the right to health is enjoyed by all!”

Member states of the WHO have agreed to a global process to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement, or other international instruments under the Constitution of the World Health Organisation to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

The Ninth round of Pandemic Accord negotiations are underway this week and next. Signatories of today’s open letter hope their combined influence will encourage all 194 nations to maintain the courage of their Covid-years conviction and make their own collective ambition of an international pandemic protocol a reality by the intended May deadline to enable ratification by the World Health Assembly at its May 2024 Annual General Assembly.