Pandemic Treaty

About Pandemic Treaty

The WHO Pandemic Agreement was negotiated from 2021 in response to the COVID 19 pandemic. The treaty aims to improve pandemic preparedness and response through provisions on pathogen sharing, technology transfer, and equitable access to vaccines and treatments. Key contentious issues included intellectual property, benefit sharing, and vaccine manufacturing capacity in developing countries. The European Union strongly supported the treaty. The United States announced its withdrawal from the WHO in January 2025. Pharmaceutical companies opposed provisions that could weaken intellectual property rights. In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the Agreement, while an annex on pathogen access and benefit sharing remained under negotiation. The treaty represents the most significant attempt to create binding international law on pandemic preparedness. Whether it can prevent the failures of COVID 19 vaccine distribution in future pandemics remains to be seen.