Pandemic accord, tightened budget on menu at big WHO meet

Dozens of high-ranking officials and thousands of delegates are set to gather for the United Nations health agency's annual decision-making assembly, due to last from May 19 to 27. "This huge gathering comes... at a pivotal moment for global health," Catharina Boehme, WHO's assistant director-general for external relations and governance, told reporters. It comes as countries are confronting "emerging threats and major shifts in the landscape for global health and international development", she said.