At the September 2026 BRICS summit in New Delhi, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for investment in primary care, pandemic preparedness, access to health technologies and sustainable financing. WHO's subsequent September 21 account describes his address and discussions with leaders.
His priorities connected everyday healthcare with emergency capacity. Stronger surveillance, early warning and response sit alongside primary care: the agenda covers detecting threats as well as maintaining services for people who need treatment.
WHO also welcomed local and regional production of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. That supply-side emphasis complements access to care, because a health service needs medical products as well as institutions capable of delivering them.
On international cooperation, Tedros supported concluding negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement. His summit message concerned that negotiating task, alongside digital health and public-health cooperation, rather than announcing the annex's legal entry into force.
