Countries struggle to draft ‘pandemic treaty’ to avoid mistakes made during COVID

By MARIA CHENG and JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — After the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders worldwide vowed to do better next time but are still struggling to finalize a global plan. The World Health Organization is overseeing an effort to come up with an agreement for responding to the next pandemic. The accord aims to define how countries might stop future pandemics and share scarce resources like vaccines. But experts warn there are virtually no consequences for countries that choose not to comply. A final draft of the treaty was meant to be ready Friday but deep divisions over issues like intellectual property could derail the agreement.