WHO member states finalize draft for global pandemic agreement
After three years of tough negotiations, WHO Member States have wrapped up talks on a draft pandemic agreement aimed at improving how the world handles future health crises. The final proposal will head to the World Health Assembly this May, where countries will decide whether to adopt it.
This effort kicked off back in December 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was still a global emergency. Countries came together to form the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), tasked with hammering out a formal international agreement to strengthen global preparedness and response to pandemics.
The negotiation process included 13 rounds of formal talks—many of them extended—plus dozens of informal discussions. Now, the INB has a full proposal ready. If adopted, it would create a new framework for how nations collaborate on everything from sharing virus samples to coordinating medical supply chains.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, said that despite global political tensions, countries were able to find common ground. He called the agreement a major step toward making the world safer and praised the Member States and their negotiators for sticking with the process.
The agreement lays out several priorities: sharing pathogens and benefits more fairly, expanding research and manufacturing across regions, speeding up technology transfers, training health workforces, and creating systems for financing and logistics during emergencies. It also emphasizes each country’s right to manage its own public health policies, clearly stating that the WHO won’t have the power to force national actions like lockdowns or vaccine mandates.
INB Co-Chair Precious Matsoso called the result a win for equity, saying the tough talks were driven by a shared understanding that pandemics don’t respect borders, and everyone is safer when countries work together. Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou, also a Co-Chair, added that the agreement marks real progress toward a faster, fairer, and more unified global response.
The final decision now lies with the World Health Assembly, which starts on May 19. If approved, the agreement would be adopted under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, giving it the force of international law.
Category: Technology & Devices
