The WHO Pandemic Agreement (WHOPA) is an international agreement.
History
On 9 July 2020
Director-General
A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (, sometimes spelled ; born 3 March 1965) is an Ethiopian public health official, researcher, diplomat, and the DGWHO, Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017. He is the first African to become W ...
of the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO) established the
Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
Beginning in September 2020, the Panel examined why
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
became a
global health and socio-economic crisis. The Panel published its findings in its report, ''COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic'', in May 2021. Amongst several recommendations, the report called for a "Pandemic Treaty".
On 29 August 2024,
Republican governors
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of 26 US states issued a joint statement that they would not comply with the treaty.
On 20 May 2025 at the
World Health Assembly
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the forum through which the World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its 194 World Health Organization#Membership, member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of h ...
(WHA), 124 members of the WHO adopted WHOPA, while 11 countries, including Poland, Israel, Italy, Russia, Slovakia and Iran, abstained. The United States was in the process of withdrawing from the WHA and declined to participate in the vote, and the
Secretary of Health and Human Services
The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
,
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., criticized the proceedings in a televised address to the Assembly. An annex on the sharing of pathogenic information still remained to be finalized before the Agreement entered into force.
Contents
The Agreement explicitly rules out the WHO holding "any authority to direct, order, alter or otherwise prescribe" any policy, or to "impose any requirements that parties take specific actions".
The Agreement refers to the WHO as "directing and co-ordinating authority" in the event of a pandemic, as does the constitution of the WHO.
[
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References
Bibliography
* {{Cite report , url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9550/ , title=What is the proposed WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty? , last1=Butchard , first1=Patrick , last2=Balogun , first2=Bukky , date=20 May 2025 , publisher=House of Commons Library
The House of Commons Library is the library and information resource of the lower house of the British Parliament. It was established in 1818, although its original 1828 construction was destroyed during the burning of Parliament in 1834.
Th ...
, issue=CBP-9550 , access-date=20 May 2025
World Health Organization treaties
Proposed treaties