Global Pandemic Agreement: Provisions, Significance & Limitations

• Context (TH | WHO): The Pandemic Agreement was adopted in May 2025 at the 78th World Health Assembly through resolution WHA78.1.

WHO Pandemic Agreement

• The WHO Pandemic Agreement is the second international legal pact under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, after the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Core Objectives

• Global Solidarity: Enhance cooperation to prevent, prepare for & respond to pandemics collectively.
• Equity in Access: Ensure fair & timely distribution of vaccines/medicines/diagnostics during pandemics.
• Shared Responsibility of Nations: To view pandemic response as a joint responsibility beyond borders.

Key Provisions

• PABS System: A Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system will be established to ensure rapid sharing of pathogens & fair distribution of benefits; details to be finalized at next World Health Assembly.
• Equitable Access: Pharma companies in the PABS system to allocate 20% of their real-time production of vaccines/therapeutics/diagnostics to the WHO for equitable distribution, prioritising developing countries.
• Global Logistics Network: A Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL) will be created to ensure timely and fair delivery of pandemic-related health products.
• Technology and Knowledge Transfer: Promotes sharing of scientific knowledge to support vaccine and drug production, especially in developing nations (Article 11).
• One Health Approach: Recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, emphasising surveillance of zoonotic diseases.
• Financial Support: A Coordinating Financial Mechanism will be set up to fund pandemic preparedness and response efforts globally.
• Non-binding Nature: The treaty is legally non-enforceable, with no penalties for non-compliance, similar to many international agreements.

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Mechanisms of Implementation

• Voluntary Commitments: Implementation rests on national goodwill and peer pressure, not coercion.
• WHO Oversight: WHO will act as the coordinating body for sample sharing and distribution logistics.
• Global Health Governance: Reinforces WHO’s role as the central body for pandemic planning and coordination.

Significance of the Pandemic Treaty

• Inclusive and Binding Framework: Establishes international norms for pandemic preparedness, including equitable access to vaccines and treatments.
  • The treaty provides a legally binding framework for global pandemic preparedness while incorporating equity, accountability, and solidarity principles into global health law.
• Health Equity: Tackles past vaccine inequities, ensuring future access to critical health supplies for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Institutionalising Collaboration: Promotes collaboration among countries and research institutions to ensure rapid development of vaccines and treatments during pandemics.
• Geopolitical Significance: Revives multilateralism in global health governance, strengthening WHO’s leadership role in pandemic preparedness.
• Global South Influence: The treaty acknowledges and reflects a compromise between the priorities of developed nations (scientific access) and developing nations (equity and access).

Concerns and Limitations

• Lack of Enforcement Mechanism: The treaty relies on voluntary compliance, without penalties for non-adherence, which weakens its impact.
• Voluntary Participation: Major powers may opt-out, citing concern about global buy-in & effectiveness.
• Dependency on WHO Capacity: Success hinges on WHO’s ability to coordinate logistics and secure sufficient product pledges from wealthier countries.
• US Absence: The United States, despite being WHO’s largest traditional donor, did not participate in final negotiations, following its earlier withdrawal during the Trump administration.