World Health Organization Agrees Legally Binding Pandemic Treaty

This highly controversial WHO agreement follows three years of negotiations and includes specific provisions for the sharing of data on emerging diseases, the rapid development of drugs and vaccines, and a new role for the global health body in overseeing international supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE). The text also requires pharmaceutical companies to allocate a portion of their drugs and vaccines for worldwide distribution during pandemics.

The treaty is not yet legally binding on WHO member countries as it must still be formally adopted at next month’s meeting of the World Health Assembly. Significantly, therefore, not all countries are on board with the plan. The United States, which is planning to withdraw from the WHO under President Trump, did not participate in the final negotiations and will not be bound by the treaty when it exits the organization in 2026, while Argentina announced in 2024 that it would not be endorsing the deal. It remains to be seen whether additional countries will similarly balk at signing a legally binding treaty with the global health body.

To read how Bill Gates is one of the largest funders of the WHO, see this article on our website.