The Lancet, 3 May 2025

The pandemic treaty: a milestone, but with persistent concerns

After more than 3 years of intense negotiations, WHO member states have finally reached a consensus on a new treaty to prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics.

Initiated in 2021, negotiations over the terms of the legally binding agreement have been substantially delayed due to several contentious issues, including over how to ensure equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics, particularly for low-income and middle-income countries. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, praised the treaty, stating that it shows “multilateralism is alive and well, and that in our divided world, nations can still work together to find common ground, and a shared response to shared threats”. There was a real chance that no text would be agreed at all, and the finalisation of a draft on April 16 is an important milestone in global health.