Governments progress on negotiations for a pandemic agreement to boost global preparedness for future emergencies

Government-led negotiations on the world’s first agreement to protect people from future pandemics made significant progress during the latest round of discussions that ended today at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Substantive progress on the draft agreement, increased involvement of civil society and non-State actors, and a commitment by all parties to sustain momentum towards a  pandemic agreement were hallmarks of the 11th meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which comprises the 194 member governments of WHO, and ran from 9-20 September in Geneva. Negotiators will resume discussions, at a 12th round, from 4-15 November.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, praised the “collective commitment” shown by governments and other stakeholders to conclude the pandemic agreement, and an urgent need to do so in light of the persistent threat shown by viruses with pandemic potential. 

“The next pandemic will not wait for us, whether from a flu virus like H5N1, another coronavirus, or another family of viruses we don’t yet know about,” Dr Tedros told the meeting. “But all the ingredients are in place to meet the objective of countries to negotiate a generational pandemic agreement. The world needs hope that it is still possible for countries to find common solutions to common problems. You can provide that hope.”

Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou, INB Bureau Co-chair of France, said the latest round of negotiations demonstrated the commitment by governments towards a pandemic accord to make the world safer and healthier. It also showed the critical role being played by civil society and other non-governmental stakeholders to ensure that equity, innovation and collaboration are at the heart of the agreement.  

“During extensive discussions, visible commitment was shown by Member States of WHO towards a pandemic agreement,” Ambassador Amprou said. “There was clear recognition from all countries that we must agree on a way forward to work better, together, to protect their citizens from future pandemics.”
Ambassador Amprou added: “The constructive contributions by INB relevant stakeholders were incredibly valuable. Together, we must sustain this progress during the coming months to realize our shared goal to forge a pandemic agreement that guides future global responses to pandemics.”

Source: WHO, 20 September 2024