FIND Acknowledges Adoption of Historic Pandemic Agreement

Today, after three years of intense negotiations, the World Health Assembly adopted the world’s first Pandemic Agreement. This agreement sets out a path to ensure a stronger and more equitable response to future pandemics, including timely and equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.

The work of drafting the agreement was carried out by the World Health Organization Secretariat and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, which was co-chaired by Precious Matsoso and Anne-Claire Amprou and previous Co-Chair Roland Dryce.

“In a time of upheaval, where the entire global health landscape is being rewritten, the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement is an incredibly hopeful sign, as it shows that the world can still come together to fight for access and for equity,” said Dr Ayoade Alakija, FIND Board Chair. “We are deeply grateful to Ms Matsoso for her tireless efforts to bring countries to a consensus and chart a path forward for pandemic preparedness and response. It has been a privilege  to walk this journey alongside my sister and I bear testament to her resilience and fortitude as she stood strong as the voice of the voiceless for equity and health justice. We at FIND have benefited from her vast experience.”

The Pandemic Agreement stipulates the manner in which governments will collaborate to ensure that not only vaccines and treatments but also diagnostics are distributed in an equitable fashion, and sets out the principles, approaches and tools for better international coordination.

“This agreement recognizes the critical role of diagnostics in identifying disease outbreaks and the importance of building the necessary infrastructure for research and development of diagnostics now, ahead of the next pandemic,” said Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, FIND CEO and Chief Transformation Officer, “It has been an incredibly long and complex process to reach this historic milestone, and we thank Ms Matsoso for her contribution.