A pandemic agreement, laying out principles of governance to tackle future health emergencies was recently adopted at the World Health Assembly on May 20, endorsed by 124 countries. The result of three years of negotiation, the agreement aims at strengthening global cooperation in pandemic preparedness and response through equitable distribution of vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. The endorsement of 124 member countries on envisioning a pathway to preventing and managing global disease outbreaks is no small achievement, and the outcome needs to be commended.
Yet, the history of global governance has shown, time and again, that the mere development of agreements is not sufficient in the absence of strong compliance and enforcement mechanisms.
Sandhya Venkateswaran explores opportunities for advancing health equity through strategic cooperation and diplomacy.
