World leaders approve political declaration on pandemic preparedness at UN meeting

World leaders renewed their commitment to protecting the world from future pandemics at a high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2026, according to the World Health Organization. The meeting, the second of its kind after a first in September 2023, approved a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The meeting

The meeting was held at UN Headquarters and included a plenary segment and multi-stakeholder panels, according to the Office of the President of the General Assembly. Its theme was "Fostering a multilateral and intergenerational approach to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics and public health emergencies through the principles of equity and solidarity."

It was set up to conclude with a "concise, action-oriented political declaration agreed upon through intergovernmental negotiations," and aimed at "mobilizing political will at the national, regional and international levels," the office said.

What the declaration says

According to WHO, the political declaration says pandemic prevention, preparedness and response requires whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches. It stresses the need for sustained, equitable investment and highlights One Health principles, which address the links between human, animal and environmental health.

WHO said the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to more than 20 million excess deaths between 2020 and 2023 and more than $10 trillion in global economic losses.

"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the fault lines of global health security, and taught the world many painful lessons," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The Pandemic Agreement and pathogen sharing

WHO Member States adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025. Countries are now negotiating an annex to set up the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, meant to ensure timely sharing of pathogens and equitable distribution of the vaccines, medicines and diagnostics that result.

According to WHO, the PABS annex must be adopted at the World Health Assembly in May 2027 before countries can begin national ratification of the agreement. UN News reported that the agreement requires 60 ratifications to legally enter into force.

"The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System, under negotiation, is critical to unlocking the full potential of the WHO Pandemic Agreement," said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.

WHO also noted that amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) have been adopted to strengthen global health security, and that global centres have been set up for surveillance, pathogen sharing and local manufacturing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

Context ahead of the meeting

In the run-up to the meeting, UN News reported that more than 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases jump to humans from animals. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: "We must not repeat the mistakes of the past when the next pandemic strikes, as we know it will. That means working together."

Why it matters

The declaration is a political commitment, and the legally binding part of the global system, the WHO Pandemic Agreement, cannot be ratified until the pathogen-sharing annex is agreed. The next key date is the World Health Assembly in May 2027, where WHO says that annex must be adopted.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.