By Francesca Hangeior

The head of the World Health Organization on Monday urged countries to adopt this week the Pandemic Agreement, aimed at preventing a repeat of the Covid-19 crisis.

WHO member states are holding their annual World Health Assembly, a gathering of the UN health agency’s decision-making body.

“At this assembly, member states will consider, and hopefully adopt, the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his opening address to the gathering in Geneva.

“This is truly a historic moment.”

After more than three years of negotiations, the text of the agreement was finalised by consensus last month.

The United States pulled out of the talks, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to trigger the country’s one-year withdrawal process to leave the WHO.

“Even in the middle of crisis, and in the face of significant opposition, you worked tirelessly, you never gave up, and you reached your goal,” said Tedros.

The hard-fought consensus spurred “joy, triumph, relief, exhaustion,” he said.

“I look forward to your adoption of the agreement.”

The agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is expected to be adopted by the assembly on Tuesday.

It aims to better detect and combat pandemics by focusing on greater international coordination and surveillance, and more equitable access to vaccines and treatments.

The negotiations grew tense amid disagreements between wealthy and developing countries, with the latter feeling cut off from access to vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The agreement faced opposition from those who thought it would encroach on state sovereignty.

Countries have until May 2026 to thrash out the details of the agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism.

The PABS mechanism deals with sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential, and the sharing of benefits derived from them: vaccines, tests and treatments.

Once the PABS system is finalised, the agreement can then be ratified. Sixty ratifications are required for the treaty to enter into force.

By Francesca Hangeior

At least one person has died while 61 others were said to have been rescued after an overloaded migrant boat disintegrated in the English Channel during an attempted crossing overnight, according to French maritime authorities, Sky News reported on Monday.

The Maritime Prefect of the Channel and the North Sea confirmed the vessel had collapsed in the water, prompting a major rescue operation involving both French and British emergency services.

Among the rescued were a mother and her child, both suffering from hypothermia. They were airlifted to the hospital by helicopter. The rest of the survivors were transferred to the port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, south of Calais.

The French rescue tug Abeille Normandie launched three speedboats to retrieve 50 people from the water.

An additional 11 were rescued by British crews—two by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and nine by the UK Border Force vessel Ranger. All were eventually brought aboard the French tug.

A French Navy helicopter later spotted an unconscious person in the sea. The individual was retrieved by the RNLI and taken to the Abeille Normandie, where they were declared dead by the medical team onboard.

The United Kingdom government confirmed the fatality and expressed condolences. “We can confirm there has been a tragic incident in the Channel involving a small boat in French waters, which has resulted in the loss of one life.

“This latest tragedy underlines the terrible dangers of small boat crossings, and we continue to do everything we can to prevent callous criminals exploiting vulnerable people. Our thoughts are with those affected,” a spokesperson said, adding that efforts to prevent human smuggling continue.

The incident occurred amid a surge in Channel crossings. Over 12,000 people have arrived in the UK by small boats this year, including more than 1,100 in the past week alone.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer recently vowed to dismantle smuggling networks, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned of growing immigration pressures and pledged to reduce net migration by 2029.