A new pandemic agreement which has been adopted  by the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) has been described as a victory for public health.

The decision by the 78^th World Health Assembly was the culmination of 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 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, (above) 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.”

“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.”

The WHO Pandemic 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.

Regarding national sovereignty, the Agreement states that: “Nothing in the WHO Pandemic Agreement shall be interpreted as providing the Secretariat of the World Health Organization, including the Director-General of the World Health Organization, 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 Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)  welcomed the agreement. Over the next year, governments plan to negotiate an annex to the agreement which is not yet open for signature, on pathogen access and benefit sharing.

The agreement obligates WHO member states to develop national pandemic prevention and surveillance plans, requiring multisectoral action and community engagement. Critically, the Pandemic Agreement recognizes the need for prevention through upstream interventions, such as safeguarding intact ecosystems and tackling the commercial live wildlife trade.

Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS vice president of International Policy: “With this agreement, the world has taken a decisive step forward for our collective survival. As a global conservation organisation working at the intersection of wildlife health, biodiversity conservation, and human well-being, WCS recognises the immense potential of the WHO Pandemic Agreement to elevate primary prevention through a One Health approach. The agreement commits governments to taking action at the national level to limit the interfaces between wildlife, domestic animals, and people—including in live animal markets—as part of prevention at source. More than just a document, the agreement represents a global commitment to multilateralism and collaboration across borders and disciplines.”