Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) Member States concluded over three years of negotiations, finalising a draft WHO Pandemic Agreement for consideration at the World Health Assembly in May 2025. This step aims to strengthen global collaboration on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
“The nations of the world made history in Geneva today,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “In reaching consensus on the Pandemic Agreement, they established an accord to make the world safer and showed that, in a divided world, nations can work together to find common ground and a shared response to shared threats.”
The proposal, developed by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) established in December 2021, includes measures such as:
- Establishing a pathogen access and benefit-sharing system.
- Promoting a One Health approach for pandemic prevention.
- Building geographically diverse research and development capacities.
- Facilitating technology and knowledge transfer for pandemic-related health products.
- Mobilising a skilled, multidisciplinary global health emergency workforce.
- Setting up a coordinating financial mechanism.
- Strengthening health system preparedness and resilience.
- Creating a global supply chain and logistics network.
The draft affirms countries’ sovereignty in public health matters, stating that the agreement does not grant the WHO authority to direct national laws, mandate actions like travel bans, vaccinations, or lockdowns, or alter domestic policies.
INB Co-Chair Ms Precious Matsoso said: “I am pleased by the agreement of countries, from all regions of the world, on a proposal to increase equity and protect future generations from the suffering and losses of the COVID-19 pandemic. The negotiations were often difficult. But this effort was sustained by the understanding that viruses do not respect borders, that no one is safe from pandemics until everyone is safe, and that collective health security is an aspiration we believe in and want to strengthen.”
INB Co-Chair Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou added: “In drafting this agreement, the countries of the world showed their commitment to protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats. The commitment to prevention through the One Health approach advances protection of populations, and the response will be faster and more equitable.”
The INB, formed at a World Health Assembly session in December 2021, conducted 13 rounds of meetings, nine extended, alongside informal negotiations. The proposal will be presented to the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly starting 19 May 2025, which will decide on its adoption under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution.
Dr Tedros acknowledged the INB Bureau, including Co-Chairs Ms Precious Matsoso (South Africa) and Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou (France), Vice-Chairs Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes (Brazil), Ambassador Amr Ramadan (Egypt), Dr Viroj Tangcharoensathien (Thailand), and Ms Fleur Davies (Australia), as well as past members and the WHO Secretariat for their support.
– global bihari bureau
