World Health Assembly approves sweeping amendments to health regulations

In a historic development, the World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of its 194 member countries, today agreed on a package of critical amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) and made concrete commitments to conclude negotiations on a global agreement on the pandemic by no later than one year. These critical actions have been taken to ensure that all countries have comprehensive and robust systems in place to protect the health and safety of all people around the world from the risk of future disease outbreaks and pandemics.

These decisions represent two important steps taken by countries together on the last day of the 77th World Health Assembly to build on the lessons learned from several global health emergencies, including the Covid-19 pandemic. The package of amendments to the Regulations will strengthen global preparedness, surveillance and response to public health emergencies, including pandemics.

The historic decisions taken today demonstrate the shared desire of Member States to protect their own people and the world from the shared risks of public health emergencies and future pandemics,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “The amendments to the International Health Regulations will enhance countries’ ability to detect and respond to future outbreaks and pandemics by strengthening their own national capacities and coordinating among other countries on disease surveillance, information sharing and response. This is based on a commitment to equity, an understanding that health threats recognize no national borders, and that preparedness is a collective endeavor.”

Dr Tedros added: The decision to conclude a Pandemic Agreement within the next year shows how strongly and urgently countries want it, because the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. Today’s strengthening of the IHR provides a powerful boost to the conclusion of the Pandemic Agreement, which, once finalized, could help prevent a repeat of the devastation to health, societies and economies caused by Covid-19.

New changes to the IHR include:

• introducing a definition of a pandemic emergency in order to trigger more effective international cooperation in response to events that may or have become a pandemic. The definition of a pandemic emergency represents a higher alert level that builds on existing IHR mechanisms, including the designation of a public health emergency of international concern. By definition, a pandemic emergency is an infectious disease that has or is at high risk of spreading widely geographically to and within multiple countries and exceeds or is at high risk of exceeding the capacity of health systems to respond in those countries; causes or is at high risk of causing significant social and/or economic disruption, including disruption to international traffic and trade; and requires swift, equitable and strengthened, coordinated international action, including a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach;
• a commitment to solidarity and equality in increasing access to medical products and financing. This includes the establishment of a Coordinating Financial Mechanism to support the identification of and access to financing required to “equitably meet the needs and priorities of developing countries, including developing, strengthening and maintaining essential capacities” and other activities related to the prevention, preparedness and response to emergencies related to with pandemic -related abilities;
• creation of a Committee of States Parties to facilitate the effective implementation of the revised Regulations. The Committee will promote and support cooperation among States Parties for the effective implementation of the IHR; AND
• establishing national IHR bodies to improve coordination of the implementation of the regulations within and between countries.

“Experiences with epidemics and pandemics, from Ebola and Zika to Covid-19 and MPOX, have shown us where we need better public health surveillance, response mechanisms and preparedness around the world,” said New Zealand’s Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, co-chair of . the Working Group on Amendments to the IHR (WGIHR) and the Working Group that led the negotiations on the package of amendments during the WHA. “The countries knew what had to be done and we did it. I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

WGIHR Co-Chair Dr. Abdullah Assiri of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia added: “The amendments to the International Health Regulations strengthen the mechanisms for our collective protection and preparedness against epidemics and emergency pandemic threats. Today’s powerful show of global support for stronger regulations also provides a huge boost to the process of negotiating a much-needed international agreement on the pandemic.”

A plan was agreed to finalize negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement

Countries agreed to continue negotiations on the proposed Pandemic Agreement to improve international coordination, cooperation and equity to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics.

WHO Member States have decided to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, established in December 2021, to complete work on negotiating the Pandemic Agreement within a year, by the World Health Assembly in 2025 or, if possible, earlier, in a special session WHO Health Assembly 2024

“All member states have reached a clear consensus on the need for another instrument to help the world better fight the full-blown pandemic,” said Ms. Precious Matsoso of South Africa, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the Pandemic Agreement (INB) and the drafting group on agenda items INB and IHR in WHA.

INB Co-Chair Roland Driece of the Netherlands said: “Today’s great result in approving amendments to the International Health Regulations will provide the momentum needed to finalize the Pandemic Agreement. We clearly have the will, the purpose and now the time. needed to end this generational agreement.”