WHO members, minus US, cheer global pandemic accord

Geneva — Members of the World Health Organisation adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics after the disjointed global response to Covid-19, but the absence of the US cast doubt on the treaty’s effectiveness.

After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause.

The pact was touted as a victory for members of the global health agency at a time when multilateral organisations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in US foreign funding.

“The agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The pact aims to ensure that drugs, therapeutics and vaccines are globally accessible when the next pandemic hits. It requires participating manufacturers to allocate a target of 20% of their vaccines, medicines and tests to the WHO during a pandemic to ensure poorer countries have access.

However, US negotiators left discussions about the accord after President Donald Trump began a 12-month process of withdrawing the US — by far the WHO’s largest financial backer — from the agency when he took office in January.

Given this, the US, which poured billions of dollars into vaccine development during the Covid-19 pandemic, would not be bound by the pact. And WHO member states would not face penalties if they failed to implement it.

US health & human services secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr slammed the World Health Organisation in a video address to the Assembly, saying it had failed to learn from the lessons of the pandemic with the new agreement.

“It has doubled down with the pandemic agreement which will lock in all of the dysfunction of the WHO pandemic response. We’re not going to participate in that,” he said.

The deal was reached after Slovakia called for a vote on Monday, as its Covid-19 vaccine-sceptic prime minister demanded that his country challenge the adoption of the agreement.

One hundred and twenty-four countries voted in favour, no countries voted against, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran, abstained.

Some health experts welcomed the treaty as a step towards greater fairness in global health after poorer nations were left short of vaccines and diagnostics during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It contains critical provisions, especially in research & development, that — if implemented — could shift the global pandemic response towards greater equity,” said Michelle Childs, policy advocacy director at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative.

Others said the agreement did not meet initial ambitions and that without strong implementation frameworks, it risked falling short in a future pandemic.

“It is an empty shell. It’s difficult to say that it’s a treaty with firm obligation where there is a strong commitment. It’s a good starting point. But it will have to be developed,” said Gian Luca Burci, an academic adviser at the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, an independent research and education organisation.

Helen Clark the co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, described the accord as a foundation to build from.

“Many gaps remain in finance, equitable access to medical countermeasures and in understanding evolving risks,” she added.

The pact will not go into effect until an annex on sharing of pathogenic information is agreed.

Negotiations on this would start in July with the aim of delivering the annex to the World Health Assembly for adoption, the WHO said.

A Western diplomatic source suggested it may take up to two years to be agreed.

Meanwhile, China, Qatar, Switzerland and others pledged more than $170m for the WHO at Tuesday’s assembly, and countries also accepted higher fees to help offset the expected loss of the US, the top donor.

“In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work,” Ghebreyesus said in a statement on new donations covering 2025-2028.

A WHO list showed that host Switzerland gave $40m; Sweden gave $13.5m; Angola gave $8m; Qatar gave $6m; while other pledges came from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and ELMA Philanthropies.

It did not include an earlier $500m pledge from China since the WHO said calculations are ongoing.

Washington had provided 18% of its funding. US President Donald Trump, who has criticised the body for its handling of Covid-19, announced his intention to withdraw on the first day of his presidency on January 20 — a move that takes a year to implement.

The new budget, formally adopted on Tuesday by the assembly which is seeking to address the funding crisis, will increase countries’ mandatory fees by 20% over the next two years.

Reuters

Update: May 20 2025
This story now includes countries' pledges.