The World Health Organization (WHO) has reportedly settled on the text for a legally binding treaty to enhance global preparedness for future pandemics.
The decision aims to prevent chaos and competition over resources, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pact also emphasizes rapid data sharing on emerging diseases, enabling pharmaceutical firms to accelerate the development of vaccines.
The WHO will now have a comprehensive view of global supply chains under the new pact.
WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the agreement as “a significant milestone in our shared journey towards a safer world.”
Tedros also noted that the pact demonstrates nations’ ability to collaborate on common challenges.
The treaty is only the second in the WHO’s history, the first being the 2003 tobacco control agreement.
Approval is now being sought at the upcoming World Health Assembly.
Under the treaty, countries must ensure the global availability of pandemic-related medications. At the same time, manufacturers are required to allocate 20 percent of vaccine, therapeutic, and diagnostic production to the WHO — distribute 10 percent as donations, and offer the remainder at accessible prices.
However, the U.S. was absent from the closing negotiations following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the health agency.
Earlier this month, Tedros urged Trump to undo his executive order and rejoin the UN-run agency.
Trump cited the agency’s failure to hold China accountable and its role in pushing “radical globalist health agendas” as key reasons for the decision.
Since then, the U.S. has halted all funding to the WHO, redirecting resources to domestic health initiatives that prioritize American interests.
Tedros said:
“I hope there will be some formal engagement for a very honest and candid dialogue for the U.S. to come back to the World Health Organization.
I’ve said it many times: the U.S. withdrawal from WHO is a lose-lose.
It’s in the best interest of the U.S. to stay in WHO. It’s a matter of health security — one that keeps the U.S. safe, and the rest of the world safe, by being part of the WHO.”
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