Prepare to Be Watched: W.H.O. Agrees to Boost Global Pandemic ‘Surveillance’

Get ready to be monitored. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has approved a significant Pandemic Agreement on Tuesday aimed at helping it address future health crises by improving its ability to observe, monitor, and oversee specific national responses to threats.

The U.N. entity is convening at its headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, with thousands of members arriving for nine days of discussions, meetings, conferences, dinners, and behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

This move follows over three years of negotiations triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the W.H.O. looks to navigate a path forward following the withdrawal of U.S. funding during the early days of the Donald Trump administration.

The United States, traditionally a major donor to the U.N. health agency, was not involved in the final stages of the agreement due to Trump’s departure. This has left the W.H.O. facing a $1.7 billion shortfall in its 2026-2027 budget plans, aiming to cut costs from $5.3 billion to $4.2 billion over 12 months.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his excitement to AFP after the vote, which was based on the agreement text finalized by consensus last month after several rounds of negotiations.

Tedros stated:

Today is a historic day. The leadership, collaboration, and commitment of our member states have made the world safer with the adoption of the landmark W.H.O. Pandemic Agreement. This agreement is a triumph for public health, science, and multilateral cooperation. It will enable us, as a collective, to better shield the world from future pandemic threats. It also represents a global acknowledgment that our citizens, societies, and economies cannot be left susceptible to suffer losses like those experienced during Covid-19.

The agreement, as reported by AFP, aims to enhance the detection and combat of pandemics through increased international coordination and surveillance, as well as ensuring fair access to vaccines and treatments.

It also guarantees that countries sharing virus samples will receive tests, medicines, and vaccines. A portion of these products, up to 20%, will be allocated to the W.H.O. to ensure that poorer nations have access to them when the next pandemic strikes, according to AP.

The process that led to the agreement was co-chaired by Precious Matsoso of South Africa and France’s ambassador for global health, Anne-Claire Amprou.

“It is designed to establish a rules-based, future-proof system that will endure over time. It does not, and will not, infringe on the sovereignty of countries,” she told the assembly on Monday.

The new agreement also involves initiating a process to develop and negotiate a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system (PABS) through an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG).

A total of 124 countries supported the new treaty, while 11 abstained, including Poland, Israel, and Italy.