WHO Adopts Historic Pandemic Agreement for Future Preparedness

Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have adopted a landmark Pandemic Agreement aimed at strengthening the world’s defenses against future global health emergencies and addressing inequities exposed by COVID-19.

The agreement was formally approved by consensus on May 20, 2025, during a plenary session of the 78th World Health Assembly following three years of intense international negotiations.

“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,” he added.

Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Health and President of this year’s World Health Assembly, presided over the adoption of the agreement.

“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,” Herbosa said.

“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,” he added.

The Agreement lays out principles and tools to enhance global coordination on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, focusing on timely and equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.

In response to concerns about national sovereignty, the Agreement explicitly states that it does not grant the WHO authority to override or dictate domestic laws or public health policies of any country.

No mandate will be imposed regarding lockdowns, vaccination, or travel restrictions; such decisions remain solely under the jurisdiction of individual nations.

A central feature of the agreement is the planned Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system, which aims to ensure that countries sharing pathogen samples during outbreaks receive fair access to resulting health products.

Under the PABS system, pharmaceutical manufacturers are expected to allocate 20% of their real-time production of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to WHO for distribution based on public health need, prioritizing developing countries.

Member States also instructed the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) to begin establishing two key mechanisms: the Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic response and the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL).

The GSCL will aim to eliminate barriers and speed up access to health tools for countries during declared public health emergencies.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement is the second international legal instrument negotiated under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, following the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Before it enters into force, the agreement must be signed and ratified by at least 60 Member States, a process that includes national legislative review.

Implementation steps will continue in the lead-up to the 2026 World Health Assembly, where the finalized PABS annex will be presented.

The Agreement’s goal is to ensure that in future pandemics, no country is left behind—especially those with limited access to critical health resources.