Diplomats said on Sunday that member states of the World Health Organization have reached a tentative agreement to negotiate a future agreement on pandemic prevention, bridging the gap between sides led by the European Union and the United States.

The draught resolution, which was hammered out over the weekend in negotiations, will be presented to health ministers for adoption at the WHO’s three-day special assembly, which begins on Monday, they said.

The diplomatic breakthrough came as international concern grew over the Omicron coronavirus variant, which was first discovered in South Africa earlier this month and has since spread around the globe.

A global agreement to strengthen pandemic prevention and response, due in May 2024, would address issues such as sharing data and genome sequences of emerging viruses, as well as any potential vaccines and drugs developed through research.

“This decision to establish a negotiating body on a future pandemic agreement may only be the beginning, but the flexibility shown and the breadth of support is a good portent for the vital efforts to come,” said Simon Manley, the British ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.

The United Kingdom, the European Union, and more than 70 other countries had pushed for a legally binding treaty. Diplomats said last week that the US, which is backed by countries like Brazil and India, was hesitant to commit to a binding treaty.

“We have reached an agreement on a text that is very satisfactory to us,” a European diplomat said. “It also gives the Americans, who are clearly linked up, a way out.”

“It’s a good outcome,” another diplomat said.

There was a lot of desire to find a common language.”

The draught resolution was made available on the World Health Organization’s website.

Since SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China in December 2019, more than 260.77 million people have been infected with the coronavirus, with 5.45 million deaths reported. According to the WHO, China has yet to share some of its preliminary data that could aid in determining the virus’s origin.

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