Countries risk to miss the May deadline to agree on one legally binding treaty to deal with pandemics and this would be a major blow for the coming generations, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today.

The new treaty and a series of updates to existing pandemic management regulations aim to strengthen the international community’s defenses against new pathogens in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than seven million people, according to WHO data.

“I must say that I am concerned that member countries may miss the deadline and there are many outstanding issues that remain to be resolved,” said the WHO director-general. Tedros Andanom Gebregesus addressing the organization’s Executive Board meeting in Geneva this week.

“In my view, a failure of the pandemic treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) will be a missed opportunity for which future generations may not forgive us,” he said, calling on countries to seize opportunity and shape the future of WHO and global health.

Only once before in the organization’s 75-year history has the WHO managed to reach such an agreement, and that was the Treaty on Tobacco Control in 2003.

In the same speech, Tedros appeared optimistic about the prospects for the fight against AIDS, which is part of the so-called Sustainable Development Goals, which the world organization has set to fight some of the most pressing problems in the world until 2030.

“We are beginning to see a path to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal towards ending the HIV pandemic,” Tedros concluded.