The head of the World Health Organization reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza as he warned that medical supplies sent to the besieged enclave are “only a drop in the ocean of need.”

Speaking at the World Government Summit on Monday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO has so far delivered 447 metric tons of medical supplies to Gaza, but said supplies are woefully low – and the needs grow every day.

“Only 15 out of six hospitals are still partially or minimally functioning, and Gaza health workers are doing their best in impossible circumstances,” he said, adding he was particularly concerned about the recent attacks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah “where the majority of Gaza’s population has fled from the distraction to the North.”

“WHO continues to call for safe access for humanitarian personnel and supplies,” he said. “We continue to call for hostages held by Hamas to be released. And we continue to call for a ceasefire”.

“Ill-equipped for next pandemic”

In his address, the WHO chief also talked about COVID-19 and the next pandemic, which he warned was a certainty – but cautioned that the world remained ill-equipped to handle

“Exactly six years ago, I stood on this stage and said the world was not prepared for a pandemic and expressed my concern at that time that a pandemic, can happen anytime,” he said.

“And, as you remember, less than two years later, in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. And indeed, the world was not prepared.”

“Today, I stand before you, in the aftermath of COVID, 19, with millions of people dead, with social, economic, and political shocks that reverberate to this day.”

He said preparedness for the next pandemic was “mission critical for the future.”

“Although some progress has been made, like improvements in surveillance, pandemic funds, the establishment of the pathogen sharing hub, and building capacities in vaccine production in record time, the world is still not prepared for a pandemic.”

“The cycle of panic and neglect is beginning to repeat. The painful lessons we learned are in danger of being forgotten as attention turns to many other crises confronting our world.”

He warned that if the world “fails to learn from these lessons”, it “will pay dearly.”

“And there will be a next time,” he said. “History teaches us that the next pandemic is a matter of when - not if.

“It may be caused by an influenza virus, or a new Coronavirus or it may be caused by a new pathogen we don’t even know about yet.”

But, he warned, as things stand, the world remains unprepared for the next pandemic.

“Tomorrow we would face many of the same problems we face with COVID-19.”

He said it was, for this reason, in December 2021, WH0 member states met in Geneva and agreed to develop an international agreement on pandemic preparedness and response, aimed at ensuring the flaws that turned COVID-19 into a global crisis could never happen again.

“(This is) a legally binding pact to work together to keep themselves and each other safe. Countries set themselves a deadline to complete the full adoption for the World Health Assembly in May of this year. That’s now just 15 weeks away.”

However, barriers remain to meeting that deadline, he warned, saying one is “the litany of lies and conspiracy theories about the agreement…that it’s a power grab by the World Health Organization.”

Tedros said all countries needed the capacity to detect and share pathogens presenting a risk, and timely access to tests, treatments, and vaccines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted huge losses on communities, countries, businesses and economies. Those losses must not be in vain and must not be repeated.”

“It’s possible or even likely that we will face another pandemic in our lifetimes. We can’t know how mild or severe it might be. But we can be ready.”