In a move to bolster global collaboration and ensure a stronger and more equitable response to future pandemics, the World Health Organisation (WHO) member states on Tuesday, May 20, unanimously adopted the world’s first Pandemic Agreement, marking the culmination of over three years of negotiations initiated in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Governments adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in a plenary session of the World Health Assembly, the global health organisation’s peak decision-making body.
The adoption followed Monday’s approval of the Agreement by vote (124 in favour, 0 objections, 11 abstentions) in Committee by member state delegations, the WHO said in a press release.
“The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and commitment of our Member States to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“The Agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats. It is also a recognition by the international community that our citizens, societies and economies must not be left vulnerable to again suffer losses like those endured during COVID-19,” he said.
It's official: the #PandemicAccord is officially adopted by the World Health Assembly!
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 20, 2025
My warmest congratulations to @WHO Member States for their commitment to keeping their people and the world safer.
What a moment in global health history. Together! pic.twitter.com/DfEHDBrhUB
The landmark decision by the 78th World Health Assembly culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and driven by the goal of making the world safer from – and more equitable in response to – future pandemics, the release said.
The agreement sets out the principles, approaches and tools for better international coordination across a range of areas, in order to strengthen the global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This includes through the equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
“Starting during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments from all corners of the world acted with great purpose, dedication and urgency, and in doing so exercising their national sovereignty, to negotiate the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement that has been adopted today,” said Dr Teodoro Herbosa, Secretary of the Philippines Department of Health, and President of this year’s World Health Assembly, who presided over the agreement’s adoption.
“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,” Herbosa said.
On national sovereignty, the agreement states that: “Nothing in the WHO Pandemic Agreement shall be interpreted as providing the Secretariat of the World Health Organisation, including the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, any authority to direct, order, alter or otherwise prescribe the national and/or domestic law, as appropriate, or policies of any Party, or to mandate or otherwise impose any requirements that Parties take specific actions, such as ban or accept travellers, impose vaccination mandates or therapeutic or diagnostic measures or implement lockdowns.”
The resolution on the agreement sets out steps to prepare for the accord’s implementation. It includes launching a process to draft and negotiate a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). The result of this process will be considered at next year’s World Health Assembly.
Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the agreement will then be open for signature and consideration of ratification, including by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, the agreement will enter into force.
The member states also directed the IGWG to initiate steps to enable setting up of the Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network.
This was done to “enhance, 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 prevention of such emergencies”, the release said.
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% 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.
Earlier in the day, in his video message during the 78th Session of the World Health Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration, as he asserted that India’s approach offers replicable, scalable and sustainable models to meet health challenges of the Global South.
He highlighted this year’s theme, ‘One World for Health’ and emphasised that it aligns with India’s vision for global health.
