Does the pandemic agreement make the world safer?

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

The World Health Organisation has agreed a treaty looking at tackling the issue of future pandemics. It’s hoped it will help to avoid some of the disorganisation and competition for resources like vaccines and personal protective equipment that were seen during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Gill speaks to global health journalist Andrew Green from the World Health Assembly in Geneva to ask if this will help to make the world a safer, fairer place.

Marnie Chesterton visits Kew Gardens in London to speak to some of the artists and scientists behind a new installation that’s digitally recreated one of the site’s most famous trees.

As it’s announced the iconic American children’s TV programme Sesame Street is moving to Netflix, Victoria speaks to the programme’s scientific advisor and Associate Professor of Elementary and Environmental Education at the University of Rhode Island, Sara Sweetman, about exactly how the likes of Elmo, Big Bird and the Cookie Monster go about informing young people about science.

And Caroline Steel joins Victoria in the studio to look through the most fascinating highlights from the world’s scientific discoveries this week.

Presenter: Victoria Gill Producers: Clare Salisbury, Jonathan Blackwell, Dan Welsh Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

Transcript

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0:00.0	What is love?
0:03.0	Is it chemistry, fate or a disaster waiting to happen?
0:07.0	Sometimes you mistake other things for love.
0:10.0	Join me, Ryland, on my new podcast as I ask experts and a few familiar faces what love really means.
0:16.3	Because it turns out it's a bit more complicated than happily ever after.
0:20.7	You should think of it as the daily commitment you make to someone that you care about.
0:25.2	Ryland, how to be in love. Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:31.2	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:34.9	Hello and welcome to the BBC Inside Science podcast, you lovely curious-minded listeners.
0:40.0	This programme was first broadcast on the 22nd of May 2025, and I'm Victoria Gill.
0:45.2	Today we are immersing ourselves in the inner life of an old, famous tree. And I will be talking
0:51.2	to Sesame Street's Scientific Advisor. Now Now there's a job title that makes me
0:55.3	question my own career choices. And as always, we have been combing through the hundreds of
0:59.7	scientific studies and discoveries published this week that are shaping our view of the world.
1:04.3	And Caroline Steele is with me to guide us through a few of the most fascinating highlights. Hi,
1:08.4	Caroline. Hi, thanks for having me on again. All right. It's always a pleasure. What have you got for us this week? So I've got news that one side of the
1:14.9	moon is hotter than the other, some positives of penguin poo and what science says about the best
1:20.9	way to chop an onion. Truly eclectic, I would expect nothing less from you. Back with you shortly.
1:27.4	Now though, members of the World Health
1:29.2	Organisation this week have agreed the text of what will be a legally binding treaty on tackling
1:34.1	future pandemics. It's been described as a significant milestone in our shared journey towards
1:39.6	a safer world. More than a year later than planned, the agreement is designed to avoid the inequity,
	...

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