WHO has proposed a global pandemic agreement
Clayton Cardinalli, Unsplash
Luxembourg's Minister of Health and Social Protection, Martine Deprez, confirmed in response to a parliamentary enquiry: after three years of negotiations, the 194 member countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) have agreed on a draft international agreement aimed at preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics. The document will be submitted for a vote at the World Health Assembly in May 2025.
Among the proposed measures:
- Establishing a system of equitable access to pathogens and sharing the benefits derived from them;
- implementation of the One Health approach that integrates veterinary, medical and environmental science;
- expansion of regional research and production centres;
- Technology transfer and knowledge sharing;
- mobilisation of qualified medical personnel;
- Establishment of a coordinating financial mechanism;
- formation of a global logistics supply network.
It is emphasised that the agreement does not limit the sovereignty of countries or give WHO the power to impose specific measures such as quarantines, vaccinations or travel restrictions.
The agreement will be the first ever legally binding framework for global pandemic preparedness. It is designed to improve information sharing among countries and the mobilisation of resources in a crisis situation.
All negotiations were conducted through the European Commission, which represented the EU Member States in a special Negotiating Body, according to Article 218 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. However, the right of final approval remained with the national parliaments. Thus, Luxembourg will only accept or reject the agreement after a parliamentary vote on a law of approval (loi d'approbation).
Despite the importance of the agreement, the government has no plans to convene a parliamentary commission before it is formally adopted in Geneva. Instead, according to the official response, a report on the results of the vote in the Health and Social Protection Commission will be presented on 21 May 2025. That is, the national parliament will receive the full text and will only be able to analyse and debate it ex post facto - but before ratification.
The aim of the agreement is to create tools for rapid response to global threats to avoid the disorganisation the world faces in 2020. This is not an abolition of national governance, but an attempt to synchronise efforts: to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines, access to information, development of common standards of preparation and coordination in emergency situations.
