The World Health Organisation has said countries have finalised a draft global agreement to improve how the world prepares for and responds to pandemics.

The WHO said the agreement marked a historic step that will be submitted to the World Health Assembly in May for adoption.

In a statement on Wednesday, the UN health agency said the agreement was developed after more than three years of negotiations under the auspices of the WHO.

According to the agency, the draft outlines a framework for strengthening international collaboration, equity and resilience in the face of future global health threats.

Remarking on the agreement, WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said, “In reaching consensus on the Pandemic Agreement, not only did they put in place a generational accord to make the world safer.

“They have also demonstrated that multilateralism is alive and well and that in our divided world – nations can still work together to find common ground and a shared response to shared threats.”

Negotiations began in December 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when WHO member states agreed on the urgent need for a legally binding international instrument and established the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body.

The process involved 13 formal rounds of negotiations, many of which were extended into the early hours, culminating in Wednesday’s consensus after a final overnight session.

Key elements of the proposed agreement include a commitment to a “One Health” approach to pandemic prevention and stronger national health systems.

Additionally, the agreement calls for setting up a coordinating financial mechanism and creating a globally coordinated supply chain and logistics network for health emergencies.

The draft also proposes a new pathogen access and benefit-sharing system, increased support for technology and knowledge transfer, and capacity-building, and it outlines a skilled, trained, and multidisciplinary national and global health emergency workforce.

The text further affirms national sovereignty in public health decisions. It states explicitly that nothing in the agreement gives WHO the authority to mandate health measures such as lockdowns, vaccination campaigns, or border closures.

The draft will now be submitted for consideration to the 78th World Health Assembly – UN’s highest forum for global health – set to begin on May 19. If adopted, it will be subject to ratification by individual nations.

(NAN)