Sunday, 5th April 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 15th April 2025, 9:56 PM
Background: A Long Road Since COVID-19
The proposed treaty comes over five years after the emergence of COVID-19, which claimed millions of lives globally and plunged economies into crisis. Negotiators have cited mounting health threats — including avian influenza (H5N1), measles outbreaks, Ebola, and mpox (formerly monkeypox) — as further proof of the urgent need for a robust and united response mechanism.
Originally scheduled for conclusion in June 2024, talks were extended by a year due to persistent disagreements, particularly around issues of technology transfer and equitable access.
The 13th round of negotiations, launched on 7 April 2025, resumed Tuesday behind closed doors at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters. On Saturday, after five days and a night of intense deliberations, co-chair Anne-Claire Amprou announced that countries had reached an “accord in principle”, pending final adjustments and official approval.
“Although the agreement went through several compromises, it includes many positive elements,” stated Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in a Tuesday press release.
| Core Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Technology Transfer (Article 11) | Mechanisms for sharing health technology, especially with developing nations |
| Global Supply Chain (Article 13) | Framework to ensure global access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments |
| Research Funding Conditions | Calls for publicly funded research to ensure equitable public benefit |
| Voluntary vs. Mandatory Provisions | Ongoing debate over whether cooperation on tech-sharing should be binding |
| Sanctions and Humanitarian Access | Contention over whether access to health goods should override sanctions |
Two major sticking points remain under negotiation:
Technology Transfer (Article 11):
Developing countries are calling for mandatory provisions to ensure fair access to vaccines and treatments. However, nations with strong pharmaceutical industries have pushed back, preferring a voluntary approach.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many low-income countries were left without timely access to vaccines and tests, a situation that leaders have vowed not to repeat.
Sanctions and Access (Article 13):
Disputes continue over whether unhindered access to health products should apply only during declared pandemics or also in humanitarian emergencies, such as in countries under international sanctions.
“There is still no consensus on granting access to vaccines and treatments to countries facing sanctions outside pandemic periods,” said Thiru Balasubramaniam of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI).
Significantly, the United States — long a global health funding leader — has withdrawn from the negotiations, following President Donald Trump’s decision in January to initiate the US exit from the WHO.
The treaty discussions also take place against the backdrop of drastic US foreign aid cuts, which have deeply affected global health agencies and created additional strains during the treaty’s final stages.
If the treaty text is finalised this week, it will be submitted for formal adoption at the World Health Assembly in May 2025.
“It would be a first in the history of international agreements,” said Michelle Childs, Director of Policy Advocacy at the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
The treaty, if adopted, could become a landmark document, offering a blueprint for international cooperation, equity, and resilience in the face of future pandemics — a pledge to never again allow global health systems to be caught unprepared.
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