geneva calls for world health organization reform and steps to avert future pandemics feature high on the agenda as the un agency kicks off its annual member state meeting on mondaywith the covid19 crisis still raging and wealthy nations continuing to hoard most doses of lifesaving vaccines the whos main decisionmaking body will have plenty to discussthe 74th world health assembly wha will begin monday with statements from national leaders including french president emmanuel macron health ministers and other highlevel representatives of the whos 194 member statesthe discussions run until june 1 focussing heavily on efforts to rein in the pandemic and on calls to revamp the entire global health approach to help prevent future covidlike catastrophesthere is much at stake but it remains unclear whether countries will step up to the platewho chief tedros adhanom ghebreyesus who will also address the opening of the virtual gathering said last week that this years wha was arguably one of the most important everon the agenda is discussion of major proposed reforms of the un health agency pushed to the brink by covidthe past year has been the most testing in our organisations history tedros acknowledgeda highlight of this years wha will come on tuesday when ministers and diplomats discuss the findings of three separate independent panels that have assessed different aspects of the global pandemic responsefinding that countries and institutions had been woefully unprepared to deal with the crisis the experts argued for a total overhaul of the global alarm systemthey also urged reform of the who to boost its independence transparency and fundinga draft resolution to strengthen the organisation is under discussionthe text which has yet to be published is expected to call for nations to submit to reviews of their pandemic preparednessit could also potentially propose giving the who the power to travel to countries to investigate serious health threats without waiting for an invitation from the member states concernedbut there is significant pushback from some countries wary of encroachment on their sovereigntyexperts have also highlighted the importance of boosting confidence in the whos independence which has taken a hit as countries have traded blame over the crisis and accused the organisation of taking sidesone way of doing this they suggested would be to limit the who directorgenerals time in office to a single sevenyear term instead of the current possible two fiveyear termsgro harlem brundtland cochair of the global preparedness monitoring board and a former who chief has backed the move saying it would erase suspicions the who leader was being lobbied to be reelecteda number of countries are also pushing to start negotiations during the wha towards a new international treaty to prepare for the next global pandemic and avoid the unseemly scramble for vaccines hampering the international covid19 responsecovid will not be the only subject of discussion there are more than 70 issues on the wha agenda including antimicrobial resistance and patient safetyand like every year the assembly appears set to begin monday with calls