France, April 16 -- Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis.

After more than three years of talks and one last marathon session, weary delegates at the World Health Organization's headquarters finally sealed the deal at around 2am CET on Wednesday.

"Tonight marks a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"The nations of the world made history in Geneva today."

Five years after the emergence of Covid-19, which killed millions of people, devastated economies and upturned health systems, a sense of urgency hun...