World Health Assembly adopts Global Pandemic Agreement

Approved by consensus at the 78th World Health Assembly, this landmark decision follows more than three years of negotiations, spurred by the failures and inequalities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and commitment of our Member States to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The Agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action.”

The Agreement outlines principles for international coordination in future health crises, focusing on fair access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. It also respects national sovereignty, stating that WHO has no authority to mandate national policies like travel bans, vaccine mandates, or lockdowns:

“Nothing in the WHO Pandemic Agreement shall be interpreted as providing... any authority to... mandate or otherwise impose any requirements that Parties take specific actions…”

Adopted in plenary after receiving 124 votes in favor at committee level, the Agreement was described as a milestone by Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, President of this year’s Assembly:

“Now that the Agreement has been brought to life, we must all act with the same urgency to implement its critical elements, including systems to ensure equitable access to life-saving pandemic-related health products. As COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime emergency, the WHO Pandemic Agreement offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on lessons learned from that crisis and ensure people worldwide are better protected if a future pandemic emerges.”

Next steps include negotiating a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system, which will govern the fair distribution of pandemic-related health products. Pharmaceutical companies participating in PABS must provide WHO with access to 20% of their real-time production during emergencies. Distribution will prioritize public health needs, especially in developing countries.

The Assembly also mandated the creation of a Coordinating Financial Mechanism and a Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network to remove barriers to pandemic response and ensure access to critical health products.

Once the PABS annex is adopted and 60 countries ratify the Agreement, it will enter into force. This is only the second treaty ever adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution—the first being the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Earlier, it was reported that, according to the WHO, hypertension remains a major public health challenge — a silent killer affecting over 294 million people across the South-East Asia Region.