20 May,2025 08:39 PM IST | Geneva, Switzerland | mid-day online correspondent
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his gratitude to the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for leading and facilitating the drafting and negotiation process of the Agreement. Pic/PTI
The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have unanimously adopted the world's first Pandemic Agreement at the 78th World Health Assembly on Monday to prevent future pandemic outbreaks.
In a major move aimed at safeguarding global health, the agreement seeks to boost international coordination and ensure equitable access to life-saving tools during future pandemics, while reaffirming respect for national sovereignty in public health decisions.
This agreement and resolution will be adopted and further discussed by all the members during the World Health Assembly on May 20. According to a WHO press release, a high-level segment featuring statements from Heads of State of various countries will follow immediately afterwards.
In a press release, WHO stated, "This watershed agreement was adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution. It aims to foster stronger collaboration and cooperation among countries, international organizations like WHO, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to prevent pandemics occurring in the first place, and to better respond in the event of a future pandemic crisis."
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, General Director of WHO, congratulated members of states for resolving unanimously after Covid-19 to protect the world from future pandemics.
The WHO press release further stated, "Governments from all over the world are making their countries, and our interconnected global community, more equitable, healthier and safer from the threats posed by pathogens and viruses of pandemic potential. I congratulate WHO's Member States for resolving to come together in the aftermath of COVID-19 to better protect the world from future pandemics. Their work to develop this global accord will ensure countries work better, faster and more equitably together to prevent and respond to the next pandemic threat."
This resolution compiles multiple precautions for taking the world forward and also prepares the countries for implementing the agreement. It involves initiating a process to draft and negotiate an annex to the agreement that will establish a 'Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS)' system, facilitated by an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG).
The outcome of this process will be reviewed at next year's World Health Assembly. Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the Pandemic Agreement will be opened for signature and potential ratification by national legislatures. The Agreement will come into force after receiving 60 ratifications.
Additionally, Member States directed the IGWG to begin establishing the Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, as well as the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL). These initiatives aim to âenhance, facilitate, and work to remove barriers and ensure equitable, timely, rapid, safe, and affordable access to pandemic-related health products for countries in need during public health emergencies of international concern, including pandemic emergencies, and for the prevention of such emergencies.'
In a press release, the WHO stated, "According to the Agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the PABS system will play a key role in equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products by making available to WHO 'rapid access targeting 20 percent of their real time production of safe, quality and effective vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for the pathogen causing the pandemic emergency.' The distribution of these products to countries will be carried out on the basis of public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries and those supported through the GSCL."
The Pandemic Agreement is aligned with the International Health Regulations, which were amended by governments at last year's World Health Assembly to strengthen global rules for detecting, preventing, and responding to outbreaks, reported by ANI
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his gratitude to the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for leading and facilitating the drafting and negotiation process of the Agreement. He also commended the dedication and expertise of the WHO Secretariat team, led by Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Jaouad Mahjour, for their support to the Bureau and Member States.
He stated, "An immensely talented, experienced and driven WHO team was assembled to support the vision of governments to develop this historic Pandemic Agreement."
"This group of individuals, representing so many countries and regions of the world, deserve enormous credit and thanks from the international community for what they have done to help make the world safer for future generations," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
