WHO member nations approve landmark treaty on pandemic preparedness

New Delhi: Members of the World Health Organization (WHO) voted in favour of a resolution calling for the adoption of a global compact to prevent future pandemics, the UN agency said in a statement. The WHO Pandemic Agreement will prevent and respond to the next pandemic with a commitment to safeguard human lives. 

Governments adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement on Tuesday in a plenary session of the World Health Assembly, WHO’s peak decision-making body. 

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According to the agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) will play a key role in equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products by making them available to WHO. 

The decision was taken at the 78th World Health Assembly in a plenary session. This is the result of intensive negotiations launched by governments around three years ago in response to the impacts of the covid pandemic and with the goal of making the world safer and 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, WHO director general.  

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“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,” he said. 

The WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted by the World Health Assembly, sets out steps to prepare for the accord’s implementation. It includes launching a process to draft and negotiate a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG). The result of this process will be considered at next year’s World Health Assembly. 

“According to the Agreement, pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in the PABS system will play a key role in equitable and timely access to pandemic-related health products 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 WHO statement said. 

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It said the distribution of these products to countries will be based on public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries. 

The WHO Pandemic Agreement is the second international legal agreement negotiated under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution. The first was the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which was adopted in 2003 and came into force in 2005.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva on Tuesday and stated that the future of a healthy world depends on inclusion, integrated vision and collaboration.

Modi highlighted Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme, which covers 580 million people and provides free treatment. The programme was recently expanded to cover all Indians over 70.