World leaders are hoping to better address the massive threat of future pandemics. The World Health Assembly is meeting for a rare, special session at the end of the month to decide whether to develop a new framework for a pandemic treaty in order to avoid the failures of COVID-19 responses. This meeting hasn’t gotten the same attention as the COP26 climate talks, but The World’s Elana Gordon reports how the goals are just as ambitious, and perhaps, even more challenging to achieve.