GENEVA/NEW YORK: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a political declaration to strengthen global efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge countries to turn their commitments into concrete action.
Adopted on October 12, 2026, the declaration reaffirms the commitment of UN Member States to international cooperation and solidarity to protect future generations from the potentially devastating health, social and economic consequences of pandemics.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the decision, calling on countries to fulfil their commitments and advance negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex, a key component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
“The world has come a long way since COVID-19,” Dr Tedros said, urging governments to finalise the negotiations so the agreement can be opened for signature, followed by ratification and its eventual entry into force as international law.
Why the UN declaration matters
The declaration follows the second UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, held on September 25, 2026. Member States considered the declaration at the meeting before referring it to the full General Assembly for adoption.
Building on scientific advances and improvements in international coordination since the COVID-19 pandemic, the declaration calls for sustained investment in national, regional and global capacities to prevent, detect and respond to emerging pandemic threats.
It also recognises that pandemic preparedness extends beyond public health. Governments are urged to treat it as a development, economic and security priority requiring coordinated action across sectors.
The declaration reflects lessons from COVID-19, when weaknesses in disease surveillance, health systems and equitable access to essential medical products exposed the challenges of responding to a global health emergency.
WHO Pandemic Agreement awaits a key component
A central priority is completing negotiations on the PABS annex, which is intended to establish arrangements for access to pathogens with pandemic potential and the fair sharing of benefits arising from their use.
Such benefits can include vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and other health products developed using shared pathogen materials and related sequence information.
The arrangements aim to support international cooperation while promoting more equitable access to the tools needed to respond to future outbreaks.
The outcome of the PABS negotiations is expected to be considered at the next World Health Assembly in May 2027, or earlier through a special session of the Assembly.
Adoption of the annex would enable the WHO Pandemic Agreement to move towards entry into force. Until the required steps are completed, the agreement should not be described as fully in force.
Disease surveillance and stronger health systems among priorities
The UN declaration sets out a broader agenda to strengthen global health security and improve countries’ ability to identify and respond to emerging infectious disease threats.
Key priorities include strengthening disease surveillance and monitoring systems, investing in national preparedness capacities and implementing the amended International Health Regulations (2005).
The declaration also calls for greater community engagement, improved access to pathogens and equitable benefit-sharing, expanded local and regional manufacturing capacity, stronger research and development, and sustainable financing.
These measures are intended to improve countries’ ability to detect outbreaks early, coordinate emergency responses and ensure that essential medical products are available when and where they are needed.
Equity and international cooperation remain central
The declaration places international solidarity and equity at the centre of pandemic preparedness, recognising that no country can manage every pandemic threat in isolation.
Improved access to medical technologies, stronger health infrastructure and more predictable funding are important to ensuring that countries have the capacity to respond to health emergencies.
For lower-resource countries in particular, stronger surveillance, laboratory capacity, trained health workers and reliable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments can play an important role in containing outbreaks and reducing their wider impact.
WHO says the commitments made through the declaration should reinforce international cooperation and help build a more equitable, coordinated and effective response to future pandemics.
The next major milestone will be progress on the PABS annex, which will help determine how the WHO Pandemic Agreement advances towards implementation.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
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