Global Pandemic Agreement: Why It Matters for India and the World

Context

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed inequalities in access to medical countermeasures. The WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted in May 2025, seeks to strengthen global cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

About the WHO Pandemic Agreement

1. Adoption: The 78th World Health Assembly adopted the Agreement by consensus on 20 May 2025.
2. Committee vote: In the preceding committee vote, 124 countries voted in favour, none voted against and 11 abstained.
3. Objective: To strengthen international cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR).
4. Legal status: As of October 2026, the Agreement has not opened for signature and ratification because negotiations on its Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex remain unfinished.
5. Next step: The outcome of the PABS negotiations is to be submitted to the 80th World Health Assembly in May 2027, or earlier at a special session in 2026 if one is convened.
6. Entry into force: Following completion of the required process, the Agreement will enter into force 30 days after the 60th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession is deposited.

Key Features

1. Prevention: Encourages measures to identify and address factors contributing to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases.
2. Preparedness: Promotes stronger health systems, trained personnel, laboratory networks and research capacity.
3. Emergency response: Supports international coordination during pandemics and other public health emergencies.
4. Manufacturing capacity: Encourages geographically diversified production and cooperation in technology transfer.
5. Supply-chain coordination: Provides for a WHO-coordinated Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network to facilitate access to pandemic-related health products.
6. Financing: Establishes a Coordinating Financial Mechanism to support national pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacities.

Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS)

The PABS system is intended to facilitate the rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and their genetic sequence information while ensuring fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use.

These benefits may include vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics developed using shared biological materials or information.

Negotiations have focused on four principal issues:

1. Benefit-sharing arrangements: Determining how benefits should be distributed among participating countries and stakeholders.
2. Contractual obligations: Establishing arrangements governing access to pathogens and the responsibilities of participants.
3. Implementation and financing: Developing practical procedures and sustainable funding for the system.
4. Access to resulting products: Ensuring that countries contributing biological materials and information can benefit from products developed using them.

At the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group, held from 14–18 September 2026, Member States advanced negotiations but did not finalise the annex. Its completion remains necessary before the Agreement can open for signature and ratification.

Global North–South Divide

Negotiations reflect competing economic interests and priorities among countries.

1. Developing countries seek predictable financing, affordable medical products and greater access to technology.
2. Developed countries and pharmaceutical manufacturers have concerns regarding intellectual property, commercial interests and the scope of international obligations.
3. National sovereignty remains a consideration in determining how international commitments interact with domestic health policies.

The central disagreement concerns the distribution of responsibilities, costs and benefits. Developing countries argue that international cooperation must account for disparities in resources and technological capacity. At the same time, the framework must provide workable incentives for research and innovation. Reconciling these priorities is essential to securing broad international participation.

India’s Stakes and Position

1. India is a major pharmaceutical and vaccine producer with experience supplying medical products internationally. Its manufacturing base gives it an important role in global health cooperation, while equitable access and technology transfer remain significant priorities for its engagement with the Agreement.
2. At the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response on 25 September 2026, India emphasised a whole-of-government, whole-of-society and all-hazards approach. It called for sustained investment and institutionalised preparedness, with national health systems, development plans and domestic financing forming the foundation of pandemic readiness. India also stressed that international assistance should complement national responsibility.
3. India has advocated a fair PABS framework that enables timely scientific cooperation while ensuring equitable access to products and technologies developed from shared biological resources.

Its contribution during COVID-19 illustrates its role in international health cooperation. Through Vaccine Maitri, India supplied approximately 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries and two United Nations entities, while providing medical assistance to more than 150 countries.

Challenges for India

1. Import dependence: Reliance on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and selected critical inputs exposes pharmaceutical production to external supply disruptions.
2. Research and innovation: Indigenous development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics requires sustained investment and stronger collaboration between research institutions and industry.
3. Surveillance gaps: Uneven laboratory coverage and limitations in genomic surveillance can delay the identification of emerging threats.
4. Institutional coordination: Effective preparedness requires clearly defined responsibilities, trained personnel and dependable funding across different levels of government.

Way Forward

1. Implement One Health: Strengthen coordination among human, animal and environmental health authorities to identify emerging risks.
2. Diversify pharmaceutical inputs: Expand domestic production of critical ingredients while developing alternative international supply sources.
3. Strengthen innovation ecosystems: Support partnerships among universities, public institutions and industry to accelerate medical research and development.
4. Institutionalise preparedness: Conduct regular emergency exercises, maintain operational protocols and integrate pandemic risks into national and state-level planning.
5. Build multilateral consensus: Use the G20, WHO and other international forums to advance an equitable and workable PABS framework.

Conclusion

1. The Pandemic Agreement represents an important effort to make international health cooperation more systematic. Its success will depend on completing the PABS annex and establishing a workable balance between scientific cooperation, national interests and equitable access.
2. For India, the strategic priority is to reduce critical domestic vulnerabilities while contributing to international arrangements that make pandemic preparedness more effective and inclusive.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can the WHO impose lockdowns or vaccination mandates under the Pandemic Agreement?

No. The Agreement does not grant the WHO authority to impose lockdowns, vaccination mandates or other public health measures on countries. National governments retain authority over their domestic public health policies.

2. How does the Pandemic Agreement differ from the International Health Regulations (IHR)?

The IHR provide a legally binding framework for managing public health risks that cross international borders, including notification and response obligations. The Pandemic Agreement addresses broader cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The two instruments are intended to complement each other.

3. Why is genomic surveillance important during an infectious disease outbreak?

Genomic surveillance analyses the genetic material of pathogens to identify changes and monitor emerging variants. Combined with epidemiological information, it can help researchers assess transmission patterns and inform public health decisions.