WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the resumed Sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement – 27 April 2026

Our Co-Chairs, Your Excellency Ambassador Tovar and Mr Matthew Harpur;

Our Vice-Chairs, Your Excellency Ambassador Dlamini, Dr Hanan, Dr Viroj and Ms Heyward;

Honourable Members of the IGWG;

Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends;

Welcome back to WHO, and thank you all for your continuing commitment to this process.

Your decision to resume your negotiations this week sends a powerful message that despite whatever differences you may have, you have a common commitment to getting this done.

I know that last week was a busy period of informal discussions, and I thank those who participated, especially the two co-facilitators, Dr César Castelain of France and Dr Lebogang Lebese of South Africa.

I am pleased to hear that these informal meetings included frank and honest discussions with genuine attempts to understand the views of others and build consensus.

Multilateralism is never easy, but it's always worth it.

When sovereign states come together to find shared solutions to shared problems, you create a shared future.

After all the hard work and the endless hours, you are so close to creating that future:

A future in which pathogen samples and information are shared in a timely manner;

And the benefits that derive from them are also shared equitably with those who need them most.

Only a multilateral system can deliver a safer world.

Of course, there will continue to be bilateral sharing, as is the sovereign right of each country.

So now, in this final hour, it is more important than ever that we listen to each other, show flexibility wherever possible and work collectively to find a middle ground - or as some of you call it, a landing zone.

The world cannot afford to lose this opportunity and risk being unprepared for the next pandemic.

So I urge you to complete an agreement this week - five days, as Matt said - that is fair and operational.

We will have time to test and adjust. Your focus now must be on agreeing text that will allow the system to start operating, and take it from there.

I continue to offer whatever support is needed from the Secretariat to achieve our collective goal - a "world together".

I truly believe that with your hard work and commitment, you can succeed, and you will.

It will not be perfect. No agreement ever is.

But it can be fair. It can be functional. It can be a beginning.

And beginnings matter more than perfection.

So I ask you to find the middle ground. Not the ground where everyone wins everything, but the ground where everyone wins enough to build something lasting together.

This week, walk out as winners - not by getting everything you wanted, but by coming together, standing up for multilateralism and global health, and proving what the world can achieve when we stand together.

Because as we all know, multilateralism and global health is at stake.

Thank you so much, and I wish you success this week, and again, you have our full support.

I thank you.