GHealth News – The World Health Organization (WHO) has finalized the text of a legally binding treaty aimed at strengthening global preparedness and coordination for future pandemics. This agreement, years in the making, seeks to prevent the kind of disorganized global response seen during the COVID-19 crisis.
Key points of the treaty include:
- Faster sharing of disease data to help speed up the development of vaccines and treatments.
- WHO oversight of global PPE supply chains to improve distribution during crises.
- A requirement for pharmaceutical companies to reserve 20% of pandemic-related products, 10% donated to WHO and 10% sold at affordable rates.
- Voluntary technology sharing with low-income countries to support local vaccine and drug production.
- A new system, the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) mechanism, to promote quicker and more equitable research collaboration.
This is only the second agreement of its kind in WHO’s history, following the 2003 tobacco control treaty. While most member states support it, the U.S. did not take part in final negotiations and will not be bound by the pact when it leaves the WHO in 2026. Formal adoption is expected at the upcoming World Health Assembly.