The 78th World Health Assembly deliberated and passed the 'World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement' on the 20th.
The 'Pandemic Agreement' proposes the establishment of a series of new platforms and mechanisms aimed at comprehensively reforming the existing pandemic monitoring, prevention, and response systems, promoting the research and sharing of pandemic-related health products, adjusting the production and distribution order of pandemic-related health products, further improving the global public health governance system, and focusing on addressing the current challenges of equity in international health development.
According to the relevant arrangements, after this session of the assembly passes the 'Pandemic Agreement,' the WHO will establish an intergovernmental working group to continue negotiations on Article 12 (Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System) annex of the agreement. The results of the negotiations will be submitted to the 79th World Health Assembly for deliberation. Once the annex is passed, the 'Pandemic Agreement' will be open for signing and ratification by countries. After ratification by 60 countries, the 'Pandemic Agreement' will officially come into effect.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in his speech at the assembly that the 'Pandemic Agreement' will become "one of the most significant achievements in the history of WHO and global health," marking an unprecedented level of human achievement in pandemic prevention and response.
During the special meeting of the World Health Assembly at the end of 2021, an intergovernmental negotiating body was established to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. On April 16th of this year, the WHO announced that after more than three years of intensive negotiations, member states had reached a consensus on the draft of the 'Pandemic Agreement,' which was submitted for deliberation at the 78th World Health Assembly.