WHO / Lindsay Mackenzie
A health worker puts on personal protective equipment before entering an ICU for COVID-19 patients at the St. Orsola-Malpighi Polyclinic in Bologna, Italy.
The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 20 May 2025, marking a historic moment for global public health. The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed significant gaps and inequities in the world's ability to prevent and respond to health emergencies, prompting nations to take action. Launched in 2021, the negotiation process involved three years of intensive work by governments, in consultation with relevant stakeholders and experts. The aim of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body established for this process was to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, that would culminate in a legally binding international instrument designed to make the world safer and more equitable in the face of future pandemics.
Following its adoption, the next crucial step is for an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the Pandemic Agreement to negotiate the details of the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, which will form an annex to the Agreement. Once this annex is adopted by the World Health Assembly, the full Agreement will be open for countries to sign and ratify according to their own constitutional processes. The Agreement will officially enter into force 30 days after 60 countries have ratified it.