Penned by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the message underscored a shared global responsibility to protect humanity from repeating such devastation seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, which claimed up to 20 million lives and wiped out $13 trillion in global economic output.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, hospitals were overwhelmed, families lost loved ones in isolation and frontline healthcare workers endured unprecedented strain. This collective trauma birthed a promise among nations: to never again face a pandemic unprepared, they wrote.
‘An act of hope’ in a divided world
Over a year ago, countries made significant strides by adopting the WHO Pandemic Agreement, committing to cooperate more effectively in preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics.
“In a divided world, that outcome was not to be taken for granted,” the letter stated. “It was an act of hope and an act of faith in one another. We write to you now because that hope is not yet fulfilled and because it lies within your hands to help fulfil it.”
Standing in the way is the pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) annex, a vital element of the agreement, which remains incomplete, President Lula and Tedros wrote.
This framework is essential for enabling countries to quickly identify and share genetic information of dangerous pathogens so that scientists can develop lifesaving tests, treatments and vaccines.
Without the annex, the Pandemic Agreement cannot formally come into force, leaving the promise unfulfilled, the joint message stated.
Complex challenges remain
The challenges in finalising the PABS annex are complex, particularly around defining how the benefits of shared pathogens are equitably distributed and how governance ensures fairness.
These were the very questions left unresolved previously, contributing to gaps in protection during COVID-19.
Negotiators are scheduled to meet again from 6 to 17 July to close these gaps.
Three critical requests
The appeal highlights three critical requests for global leaders:
- Political will at the highest level: Leaders must prioritise finalising the annex and empower negotiators to seek bold consensus. The agreement does not compromise national sovereignty nor does it grant WHO authority to impose measures like lockdowns or vaccination mandates. Those decisions remain firmly with individual nations.
- Spirit of equity: The PABS system is built on fairness. Those who share pathogens swiftly must trust that resulting vaccines and treatments will also reach their populations, an approach acknowledging that pandemic prevention is not charity but sound strategy, reducing costs and lives lost by containing outbreaks early. Equitable access must be guaranteed, ensuring clear, stable rules to replace the current case-by-case, crisis-driven process.
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A sense of urgency: Scientists estimate a nearly 25 per cent chance of another pandemic within the next decade. Shifting environmental and social factors are creating new hotspots for disease emergence worldwide while biotechnology advances raise risks of accidental or intentional releases. The letter calls for 17 July to be treated as a firm deadline for agreement, signaling global commitment and avoiding dangerous delays.
An elderly woman receives her third COVID-19 booster shot at a vaccination centre in Lisbon, Portgual, in 2024. (file)
The next crucial chapter
Current outbreaks, such as Ebola in multiple countries with no approved vaccine, highlight the ongoing risks, they warned.
Reminding readers of the staggering human and economic toll of COVID-19, the letter stated that, by comparison, investing in early outbreak detection and response systems like the PABS framework is modest and essential.
Historically, the world has united to save countless lives by defeating smallpox, pushing polio to near eradication and combating HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Finishing this agreement is not a departure from that legacy,” the letter stated. “It is its natural next chapter, and it is within reach.”
Check out our video explainer on the Pandemic Agreement:
