WHO Members Draft Future Pandemic Agreement

On Wednesday, World Health Organization (WHO) member states reached a draft agreement after more than 3 years of negotiations to strengthen global preparedness for future pandemics.¹

"The nations of the world made history in Geneva today," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said in a statement. "In reaching consensus on the Pandemic Agreement, not only did they put in place a generational accord to make the world safer, they have also demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground, and a shared response to shared threats.”

The legally binding pandemic preparedness pact is widely viewed as a historic win for the global health agency amid sharp cuts in US foreign funding, according to Reuters.² As US negotiators left the discussions after President Donald J. Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the US from the WHO, the US will not be bound by the pact.

The agreement developed by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) focuses on several key areas aimed at strengthening global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.¹ Proposals include establishing a pathogen access and benefit-sharing system, promoting a One Health approach to pandemic prevention, and enhancing geographically diverse research and development capacities.

The draft also emphasizes the importance of facilitating the transfer of technology and related expertise, building a skilled and multidisciplinary health emergency workforce, creating a coordinating financial mechanism, and establishing a robust global supply chain and logistics network. Additionally, it outlines measures to strengthen health system functions and resilience.

Importantly, the proposal reaffirms national sovereignty, clarifying that nothing in the agreement grants WHO the authority to direct or mandate national laws or policies, nor does it compel countries to take specific actions such as imposing lockdowns, mandating vaccinations, or altering border policies.

“I am overjoyed by the coming together of countries, from all regions of the world, around a proposal to increase equity and, thereby, protect future generations from the suffering and losses we suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic,” INB cochair Precious Matsoso, director-general of the National Department of Health (South Africa), said in the statement. “The negotiations, at times, have been difficult and protracted. But this monumental effort has been sustained by the shared 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 deeply believe in and want to strengthen.”

This is second time in the WHO’s 75-year history that member countries have reached a binding agreement.² The agreement will be reviewed for consideration at the upcoming World Health Assembly in May.

“In drafting this historic agreement, the countries of the world have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats,” INB cochair Anne-Claire Amprou, French ambassador for global health, said in the statement.¹ “While the commitment to prevention through the One Health approach is a major step forward in protecting populations, the response will be faster, more effective and more equitable. This is a historic agreement for health security, equity and international solidarity.”

References

1. WHO Member States conclude negotiations and make significant progress on draft pandemic agreement. World Health Organization. News release. April 16, 2025. https://www.who.int/news/item/16-04-2025-who-member-states-conclude-negotiations-and-make-significant-progress-on-draft-pandemic-agreement

2. Le Poidevin O. WHO members reach deal on how the world would tackle future pandemics. Reuters. April 16, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/countries-reach-historic-who-pandemic-agreement-afp-reports-2025-04-16/