Text by Regula Heinzelmann
April 18, 2025
Following 13 formal rounds of meetings, nine of which were extended, and many informal and intersessional negotiations on various aspects of the draft agreement, the INB today finalized a proposal for the WHO Pandemic Agreement. The outcome of the INB’s work will now be presented to the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly for its consideration.
Proposals within the text developed by the INB include establishing a pathogen access and benefit sharing system; taking concrete measures on pandemic prevention, including through a One Health approach; building geographically diverse research and development capacities; facilitating the transfer of technology and related knowledge, skills and expertise for the production of pandemic-related health products; mobilizing a skilled, trained and multidisciplinary national and global health emergency workforce; setting up a coordinating financial mechanism; taking concrete measures to strengthen preparedness, readiness and health system functions and resilience; and establishing a global supply chain and logistics network.
The proposal affirms the sovereignty of countries to address public health matters within their borders, and provides that nothing in the draft agreement shall be interpreted as providing WHO any authority to direct, order, alter or prescribe national laws or policies, or mandate States to take specific actions, such as ban or accept travellers, impose vaccination mandates or therapeutic or diagnostic measures or implement lockdowns.
This proposal must be examined intensively - some original documents clearly show the WHO's intentions.
Read the original text of WHO:
June 5, 2024
The World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of its 194 member countries agreed a package of critical amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), and made concrete commitments to completing negotiations on a global pandemic agreement within a year, at the latest.
These decisions represent two important steps by countries, taken in tandem with one another on the final day of the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly, to build on lessons learned from several global health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The package of amendments to the Regulations will strengthen global preparedness, surveillance and responses to public health emergencies, including pandemics.
The new amendments to the IHR include:
The Countries agreed to continue negotiating the proposed Pandemic Agreement to improve international coordination, collaboration and equity to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics.
WHO’s Member States decided to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, established in December 2021, to finish its work to negotiate a Pandemic Agreement within a year, by the World Health Assembly in 2025, or earlier if possible at a special session of the Health Assembly in 2024.
April 21, 2024
WHO Member States agreed to resume negotiations aimed at finalizing a pandemic agreement during 29 April to 10 May. The decision came at today’s end of two weeks of intensive country-led discussions on critical subjects.
On the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly, starting 27 May 2024, the WHO Member States should consider for adoption the proposed text of the world's first pandemic agreement.
November 24, 2023
WHO Director-General's remarks at the seventh meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body – 8 November 2023
We need delivery of a pandemic agreement and a package of International Health Regulations amendments to the World Health Assembly in May, next year. This is a generational opportunity that we must not miss.
I
There are those who say – whether they believe it themselves or not – that the accord will cede sovereignty to WHO; that it will give the WHO Secretariat power to impose lockdowns or vaccine mandates on countries, and other nonsense.
You know and we know that the agreement will give WHO no such powers.
We need your support to put this nonsense to rest.
We need your support to counter these lies, by speaking up at home and telling your citizens that this agreement will not, and cannot, cede sovereignty to WHO. Period.
The original dokuments you find here prove the contrary.
May 02, 2023
An international protest against the WHO plans is necessary. The amendments of International Health Regulations propose the subordination of states to the WHO, an international planned economy for pharmaceutical products by the WHO.
In the International Health Regulations this passage should be deleted: with full respect for the dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons.
The PDF files are original documents of WHO-Website.
https://apps.who.int/gb/wgihr/pdf_files/wgihr1/WGIHR_Compilation-en.pdf
International Health Regulations
Governments examined in detail more than a third of over 300 proposed amendments to the WHO International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR). The IHR were originally adopted to set out agreed approaches and obligations for countries to prepare for, and respond to, disease outbreaks and other acute public health events with risk of international spread. The original International Sanitary Regulations were revised three times – in 1969 (when they became International Health Regulations), in 1981, and in 2005. The third edition (2005) has been amended twice – in 2014 and 2022. The newest proposed amendments come in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is expected that the WGIHR (Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations) will meet again three times in 2023 – in July, October and December – to discuss and agree on amendments and present a package of proposed amendments to the World Health Assembly in May 2024.
Important Amendments
The implementation of these Regulations shall be - This passage should be deleted: with full respect for the dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons - based on the principles of equity, inclusivity, coherence and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities of the States Parties, taking into consideration their social and economic development.
2 bis The States Parties shall develop and maintain capacities to implement the Regulations in accordance with their Common But Differentiate Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), availability of international financial assistance and shared technological resources, and in this regard, primary preference shall be given to the establishment of functioning public health systems resilient to public health emergencies.
3. The implementation of these Regulations shall be guided by the goal of their universal application for the protection of all people of the world from the international spread of disease. When implementing these Regulations, Parties and WHO should exercise precaution, in particular when dealing with unknown pathogens.
Article 6 Notification
New 3. No sharing of genetic sequence data or information shall be required under these Regulations. The sharing of genetic sequence data or information shall only be considered after an effective and transparent access and benefit sharing mechanism with standard material transfer agreements governing access to and use of biological material including genetic sequence data or information relating to such materials as well as fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization is agreed to by WHO Member States, is operational and effective in delivering fair and equitable benefit sharing.
NEW Article 13A WHO Led International Public Health Response
1. States Parties recognize WHO as the guidance and coordinating authority of international public health response during public health Emergency of International Concern and undertake to follow WHO’s recommendations in their international public health response.
2. WHO shall carry out an assessment of the availability and affordability of the heath products such as diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, personal and protective equipment and other tools required for responding to public health emergencies of international concern, including the potential increase in supply resulting form the surge and diversification of production and in cases of expected shortage of supply, WHO shall develop and allocation plan for health products so as to ensure equitable access to people of all States Parties.
Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET)
Global Meeting for Future Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics held on 24-26 April 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland.
To help countries better prepare for future pandemics, WHO launched a new initiative today “that provides guidance on integrated planning for responding to any respiratory pathogen such as influenza or coronaviruses”. The new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Initiative, or PRET, incorporates the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established during the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent public health emergencies.
Through the initiative, WHO will use a mode of transmission approach to guide countries in pandemic planning, given that many capacities and capabilities are common among groups of pathogens. PRET answers the call for technical guidance and support for promoting and strengthening integrated preparedness and response, as outlined in World Health Assembly resolutions.
The COVID-19 pandemic and other health emergencies have shown that countries need to be operationally ready to respond to infectious disease threats, with tailored preparedness plans in hand and better coordination and collaboration with other sectors such as agriculture.
WHO, Member States, and partners are working together to identify and implement priority actions to strengthen national, regional, and global preparedness for pandemics and emerging infectious disease threats. We recognize the role of communities and all sectors, and the need for harmonized and sustained momentum to end the cycle of panic and neglect that is all too common in pandemic preparedness and response.
This is a Call to Action to accelerate preparedness for pandemics and emerging threats globally. Effective preparedness relies on robust planning and coordinated action. A collective commitment on the following actions will see progress achieved by December 2025 as will be described in the (Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) monitoring framework:
The COVID-19 pandemic response has demonstrated what can be achieved with political commitment, community engagement and funding. At the heart of this work is to ensure equity to be ready for the next pandemic together. Whole-of-society action is needed to make the progress outlined in this Call to Action. Implementation should therefore strengthen the resilience of communities; maintain, sustain, and build on routine systems; and leverage broader capacities for emergency preparedness and response.
Informations
https://www.who.int/initiatives/preparedness-and-resilience-for-emerging-threats
Global Strategy on Infection Prevention and Control
Having considered the report by the Director-General on infection prevention and control as part of the universal health coverage and communicable disease agendas towards 2030.