World Health Assembly Adopts Historic Pandemic Agreement After Three Years of Negotiation

Geneva, 20 May 2025 — Member States of the World Health Organization formally adopted by consensus the world's first Pandemic Agreement at the 78th World Health Assembly on 20 May 2025. The landmark decision culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by the goal of making the world safer from — and more equitable in response to — future pandemics.

The adoption followed approval by vote in committee the previous day, with 124 Member States voting in favour, 0 objections, and 11 abstentions. The agreement was then adopted by consensus in the plenary session of the World Health Assembly, WHO's peak decision-making body.

A Victory for Public Health and Multilateralism

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the adoption as a historic achievement. "The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and commitment of our Member States to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement," he said. "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."

Dr Teodoro Herbosa, Secretary of the Philippines Department of Health and President of this year's World Health Assembly, presided over the adoption. "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," he said. "Now that the Agreement has been brought to life, we must all act with the same urgency to implement its critical elements."

What the Agreement Covers

The WHO Pandemic Agreement sets out the principles, approaches, and tools for better international coordination across a range of areas to strengthen the global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Key elements include:

• Equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics — ensuring timely and fair distribution of pandemic-related health products during future emergencies
• Strengthened global surveillance — enhancing systems for detecting and responding to disease outbreaks
• Workforce development — building capacity for pandemic preparedness in health systems worldwide
• Technology transfer and know-how — facilitating the sharing of knowledge and manufacturing capabilities
• Coordinating Financial Mechanism — establishing funding structures for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response
• Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network — enhancing the distribution of health products during emergencies

National Sovereignty Preserved

A critical aspect of the negotiations was the question of national sovereignty. The Agreement explicitly states: "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 Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System

A critical component — the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system — was not finalized at the time of adoption. The resolution adopted by the Assembly sets out steps to prepare for the agreement's implementation, including launching a process to draft and negotiate the PABS system through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). The result of this process will be considered at the following year's World Health Assembly.

According to the Agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the PABS system will play a key role in equitable access 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 will be carried out on the basis of public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.

Entry into Force

The agreement will not become operational immediately. Once the Assembly adopts the PABS annex, the WHO Pandemic Agreement will be open for signature and consideration of ratification by national legislative bodies. After 60 ratifications, the Agreement will enter into force.

Member States also directed the IGWG to initiate steps to enable the setting up of the Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and the Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL) 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."

Historical Context

The WHO Pandemic Agreement is only the second international legal agreement negotiated under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, which gives the World Health Assembly authority to adopt conventions or agreements on any matter within WHO's competence. The first was the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2005. The FCTC has been ratified by 182 parties, making it one of the most widely embraced treaties in UN history.

Lessons from COVID-19

The negotiations were launched in December 2021, as the world grappled with the Omicron wave of COVID-19. The pandemic had exposed profound inequities in the global response: wealthy countries secured the bulk of vaccine supplies while low-income countries struggled to access even basic protections. The agreement aims to address these gaps by establishing frameworks for equitable access before the next pandemic strikes.

The three-year negotiation process was marked by intense debates over intellectual property, technology transfer, benefit-sharing arrangements, and the balance between national sovereignty and international cooperation. The final text represents a compromise that garnered broad support while acknowledging that further work remains, particularly on the PABS system.

Looking Ahead

While the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement represents a significant milestone in global health governance, the path to full implementation remains long. The IGWG negotiations on the PABS annex, the process of national ratification, and the operationalization of the Coordinating Financial Mechanism and Global Supply Chain Network will require sustained political commitment from Member States.

For the global health community, the agreement's adoption signals a collective determination to learn from the failures of the COVID-19 response. Whether that determination translates into effective preparedness for the next pandemic will depend on the political will to ratify, fund, and implement the agreement's provisions in the years ahead.

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Sources

• WHO News Release, "World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics," 20 May 2025 — who.int
• WHO, "Member States approve WHO Pandemic Agreement in World Health Assembly Committee," 19 May 2025 — who.int
• PAHO, "World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement," 20 May 2025 — paho.org
• IISD SDG Knowledge Hub, "WHO Member States Adopt Pandemic Agreement," May 2025 — sdg.iisd.org