Hailed as \u2018a victory for public health,\u2019 the agreement aims to build on the lessons of Covid-19 and protect the globe from pathogenic threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A pandemic agreement governing how the world should work together to tackle future disease outbreaks has been adopted by global leaders after three years of negotiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization<\/a> (WHO), said it was \u201ca victory for public health, science and multilateral action\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WHO Pandemic Agreement was passed with applause by delegates at the World Health<\/a> Assembly (WHA) in Geneva. The US will not be part of the agreement, having withdrawn from the WHO and negotiations after Donald Trump took office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plans for a pandemic treaty, governing how the world should respond to future global disease outbreaks, were first announced in March 2021<\/a>. World leaders, including Boris Johnson, promised a \u201clegacy that protects our children and grandchildren and minimises the impact of future pandemics on our economies and our societies\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the initial deadline of the WHA in 2024 was missed<\/a> amid mistrust between the global north and south. There were high levels of disinformation<\/a> surrounding negotiations, including false claims that the accord would cede sovereignty to the WHO or give it the power to impose lockdowns and vaccine mandates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to reach the agreement this week, some key points of contention have been pushed back for later talks. The issue of pathogen access and benefit sharing (Pabs) \u2013 or what countries can expect, in terms of access to vaccines and treatments, in return for sharing data on any novel bugs emerging in their territory \u2013 will be governed by an annexe to the treaty, to be negotiated over the next 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response recommended an agreement of this kind four years ago after reviewing the international response<\/a> to Covid-19. The panel co-chair, former prime minister of New Zealand Helen Clark, said the agreement should be considered \u201ca foundation from which to build, starting today\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She warned: \u201cMany gaps remain in finance, equitable access to medical countermeasures and in understanding evolving risks. Don\u2019t wait to get started. Dangerous pathogens are looming, and they certainly will not wait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n