The WHO Pandemic Agreement is a legally-binding international instrument adopted by the World Health Assembly on May 20, 2025, to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Its origin lies in the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed significant gaps and inequities in the world's ability to respond to health emergencies. The process to draft and negotiate the agreement was launched in December 2021 by WHO Member States, who established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB). The core problem it solves is the lack of a coordinated, equitable global framework to ensure that the devastation and inequities of the COVID-19 pandemic are not repeated.
The agreement works by establishing principles, priorities, and targets for pandemic response, built on the foundation of equity and solidarity. Key provisions include strengthening disease surveillance, promoting a One Health approach, and improving local production capacity through technology transfer. A central mechanism is the proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, described in Article 12, which aims to ensure the rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and the equitable sharing of benefits, such as vaccines and therapeutics, derived from them. The agreement also establishes a Coordinating Financial Mechanism and a Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network to support implementation and equitable distribution of health products.
The WHO Pandemic Agreement connects directly to the International Health Regulations (2005), which it complements by providing a more comprehensive framework for pandemic preparedness. The agreement explicitly reaffirms national sovereignty and states that it does not give the WHO authority to impose measures like lockdowns or vaccine mandates on any country. The agreement was adopted on May 20, 2025, but has not yet fully entered into force. The most recent change is that the full agreement will not be open for signature and ratification until the PABS Annex, described in Article 12, is finalized and adopted by the World Health Assembly, with work on this annex being taken up by a new Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). The agreement will officially enter into force 30 days after 60 countries have ratified it.