A staff member said the World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic agreement would bring countries together to prevent and respond to future outbreaks and to improve equitable access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

The staff member said the agreement is meant to provide a framework for prevention, surveillance and research and development, and to establish systems for pathogen sharing, global supply-chain coordination and a coordinating financial mechanism. "The COVID pandemic was a stark reminder to the world that we are not prepared," the staff member said. "We need a more coordinated approach."

The speaker described the agreement as "a tool of international health law" designed to strengthen prevention by setting up a pathogen access and benefit-sharing system so countries can share pathogen data on central networks and help others diagnose within their contexts. The staff member also said the agreement would aim to establish "a global supply chain and logistics network" and a coordinating financing mechanism so available funds are better targeted "where they are needed the most."

The staff member emphasized international solidarity and the limits of unilateral action in a connected world. "I will only be safe when my neighbor is safe," the staff member said, adding that multilateral cooperation was necessary because "no country can do it alone."

No formal vote or decision was recorded in the transcript. The remarks describe the aims and components of the WHO pandemic agreement discussed by the speaker; the transcript does not identify concrete next steps, deadlines, or which countries have ratified or will implement specific provisions.