Geneva - The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a "historic" package of measures to combat future pandemics.

When the coronavirus had the globe firmly in its grip, the World Health Organization formed a task force with the aim of better preparing the world for future pandemics. The member states have been negotiating since 2021, and a breakthrough was announced on Wednesday.

"The nations of the world have made history today in Geneva," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (60) in a statement.

At the end of the final meeting in Switzerland, concrete measures for pandemic prevention were agreed, including the facilitation of cross-border technology transfer and the establishment of a global emergency working group.

The WHO Director-General explained why this agreement was historic: "In reaching consensus on the pandemic agreement, they not only struck a generational deal to make the world safer, but also showed that multilateralism is alive and well and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground and a common response to common threats."

Despite the strong focus on the close networking of nations, the World Health Organization emphasized the importance of the sovereignty of individual states. Its draft states that the WHO may never change national laws or order a lockdown.

Whether the pandemic agreement will actually be included in the WHO constitution in this form will be decided at the World Health Assembly on May 19.