78th World Health Assembly

Landmark pandemic treaty adopted despite pushback by some countries

The treaty is designed to create a world better prepared for pandemics, ensuring a more equitable distribution of lifesaving medical interventions, a key challenge highlighted by the COVID-19 response.

By Jenny Lei Ravelo // 20 May 2025

World Health Organization member states adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement on Tuesday, after more than three years of negotiations.

The adoption follows a committee meeting, where the majority of WHO member states voted in favor of adopting the treaty in a meeting in Geneva that stretched late into the evening on Monday.

In a vote called for by Slovakia at the 78th World Health Assembly, 124 countries voted in favor of the resolution to adopt the long-awaited pandemic treaty — a sweeping effort to fix the global failures exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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