WHO Endorses Global Pandemic Agreement

• 31 May 2025

For Prelims: WHO Pandemic Agreement, Non-communicable diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance, Climate Change, Non-Communicable Diseases, Cardiovascular diseases, Malaria. 

For Mains: Major Health Challenges Currently Affecting the World, Role of India in Leading Global Healthcare Efforts, Current Institutional Framework Governing Global Health Management. 

Source: IE 

Why in News? 

The World Health Organization (WHO), at its 78^th World Health Assembly has adopted the world’s first global Pandemic agreement under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution, aiming to strengthen health security and ensure equitable pandemic responses.  

• It is the second legal instrument after the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. 

What is the WHO’s Global Pandemic Agreement? 

• About: It was adopted on 20th May 2025, which lays down principles for international cooperation to strengthen global health architecture and ensure timely and equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics during pandemics. 
  • The treaty is open for signature and ratification and will become binding once ratified by 60 countries. 
• Background: Negotiations for the pandemic treaty began in December 2021 during the Omicron variant of Covid-19, exposing vaccine hoarding by rich countries that denied access to poorer nations.  
  • Studies showed equitable vaccine distribution could have saved over a million lives. To address poor coordination and inequality, WHO member states collaborated to create this treaty. 
• Key Provisions: 
  • Pathogen Access & Equitable Sharing: Pharma companies gain access to pathogen samples and data in return for sharing 10% of their pandemic-related vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics with WHO, and  another 10% supplied at affordable prices. 
  • Technology & Knowledge Transfer: Member states must promote and incentivize the sharing of technology and expertise to enable local production of vaccines and drugs in developing countries. 
  • Coordinating Financial Mechanism & GSCL: Member States mandated the initiation of a Coordinating Financial Mechanism for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. 
    • The Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network (GSCL) was launched to remove barriers and ensure equitable, timely, safe, and affordable access to pandemic-related health products during public health emergencies of international concern. 
  • Research Funding & Access Rights: Countries must ensure publicly funded research includes conditions for timely and fair access to resulting medical products.  
    • Governments should intervene if life-saving medicines developed with public funds are unaffordable or unavailable. 
  • Sovereignty Preserved: WHO is barred from overriding national laws or imposing mandates such as travel bans, vaccination requirements, or lockdowns, ensuring countries retain full authority over their pandemic responses. 

What are the Key Concerns Associated with WHO’s Global Pandemic Agreement? 

• Limited WHO Authority: The treaty explicitly denies WHO powers to direct national laws or impose measures like travel bans, vaccine mandates, or lockdowns, limiting enforcement and compliance during crises. 
• Intellectual Property & Innovation: Pharmaceutical companies seek strong Intellectual Property (IP) protection and legal certainty to support high-risk research and innovation, highlighting the challenge of balancing these with equitable access during pandemics. 
• Unclear Benefit-Sharing Mechanism: The Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS) aims to govern the sharing of biological materials (pathogens) and genome sequences to ensure fair benefit-sharing, including equitable access to vaccines and diagnostics.  
  • However, its implementation lacks clarity, and the mechanism is still under negotiation, with finalization expected at the 2026 World Health Assembly. 
• US Exit from WHO: The withdrawal of the US, a key player in global pharmaceutical manufacturing, from the WHO, weakens the treaty’s impact, as its pharma companies are not obligated to share data or comply with treaty provisions, creating major gaps in global coordination. 

India’s Contributions in WHO Pandemic Agreement 

• Advocacy for Equity & Global Solidarity: India advocates fair access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics, especially for Lower-middle-income economies (LMICs) and has pushed for strong equity clauses to counter vaccine nationalism and ensure timely global support. 
• Support for Technology Transfer and IPR Flexibility: India, in partnership with South Africa, led the global call at the WTO for waivers on intellectual property rights (IPR) for Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics.  
  • It continues to push for balanced IPR provisions in the treaty to facilitate technology transfer and enhance manufacturing capabilities in developing countries. 
• Emphasis on Health System Resilience: India advocates for increased global investment in public health infrastructure, workforce capacity building, and training to strengthen resilient health systems, particularly in low-resource settings. 

What are the Key Global Health Challenges? 

Click Here to Read: Global Health Challenges 

What is the Role of India in Shaping and Advancing Global Health Governance? 

Click Here to Read: Role of India in Global Health Governance 

Note 

• The 78th World Health Assembly also honoured Austria, Norway, Oman, and Singapore for eliminating industrially produced Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) from their food supplies. 

 

• Efforts Against Trans Fats: 
  • WHO limits trans fats to 2g/100g of total fat or ban partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs). 
  • REPLACE Action Framework (2018) of WHO for global elimination of industrially produced trans fats by 2025. 
    • It had set the target of trans-fat elimination policies in countries that account for at-least 90% of the global trans fat burden and at least 70% within each region by the end of 2025.  
    • However, as of May 2025, 60 countries (46% of the global population) have adopted best-practice policies. 
  • India's Role: 
    • India enforced a 2% limit on trans fats in oils and fats in 2022 under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2021.  

Conclusion 

The WHO Pandemic Agreement marks a landmark shift towards a more equitable and coordinated global health framework. It institutionalizes lessons from Covid-19, ensuring faster response, fair vaccine access, and stronger health systems. For India and other nations, early adoption and effective implementation will be crucial in safeguarding against future health emergencies and strengthening global health security. 

Drishti Mains Question:

What is the WHO Global Pandemic Treaty? Discuss the challenges in its adoption and its significance in strengthening global health governance in the post-Covid-19 world.

 

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)  

Prelims:

Q. Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’? (2017)

1. To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.  
2. To reduce the incidence of anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women.  
3. To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice.  
4. To promote the consumption of poultry eggs.  

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 and 2 only  

(b) 1, 2 and 3 only  

(c) 1, 2 and 4 only  

(d) 3 and 4 only  

Ans: (a) 

Mains: 

Q. “Besides being a moral imperative of a Welfare State, primary health structure is a necessary precondition for sustainable development.” Analyse. (2021)

Q. Appropriate local community-level healthcare intervention is a prerequisite to achieve ‘Health for All’ in India. Explain. (2018)