In October 2024, parliamentarians from across the world met at the UNITE Global Summit in Berlin to sign a statement in support of the WHO Pandemic Agreement. The statement was described by WHO as a “significant commitment” to “strengthen pandemic preparedness, response, and equitable access to health”. The Summit was held in collaboration with the World Health Summit (WHS), drawing global parliamentarians, civil society leaders, and health experts to “translate discussions into actionable policy priorities”.
Building trust for a healthier world
The World Health Summit 2024 was held under the theme “building trust for a healthier world”, focussing on inspiring “innovative solutions for better health and well-being for all”. The UNITE Global Summit agenda reflected key topics highlighted during WHS, divided into four pillars:
- Human rights and equitable access to health
- Global health architecture and security
- Strengthening of healthcare systems
- Sustainable financing for health
Support for the Pandemic Agreement
The Pandemic Agreement is under negotiation by WHO Member States as an attempt to address the “gaps” exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the threats presented by mpox and other disease outbreaks. It also seeks to “strengthen global collaboration pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response”.
A critical moment during the summit was the signing of the Global Parliamentary Statement in Support of the Pandemic Agreement, which demonstrated the importance of parliamentarians in “ensuring global health security and safeguarding populations against future pandemics”. The statement emphasised their commitment to ensuring that “all countries, regardless of resources, have access to the tools, capacities, resources, and healthcare required” during a pandemic.
Dr Ricardo Baptista Leite, President of UNITE, commented that parliamentarians are the “voice of the people” and carry a “crucial responsibility in safeguarding public health”.
“The WHO Pandemic Agreement represents a historic opportunity to prevent pandemics and strengthen our global preparedness and response capabilities. By signing this statement, we are not only showing our support for the agreement but also pledging to ensure that its principles of equity, solidarity, and global cooperation are fully realised in every nation.”
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the support for the “once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a stronger, fairer, and more prepared global health system”.
“By signing this statement, parliamentarians from around the world are showing their commitment to protecting lives from future pandemics and ensuring equitable access to vaccines, treatments, diagnostics, and other health tools for every country, particularly those with fewer resources.”
Key commitments
The Global Parliamentary Statement emphasises four “key commitments”:
- Equity at the core – ensuring equitable access to pandemic-related health tools based on public health need for everyone, especially countries with fewer resources
- Global solidarity – strengthening international cooperation to build resilient health systems that can prevent and respond to pandemics
- Legislative action – advocating for the ratification and implementation of the Pandemic Agreement within national legislatures, as appropriate
- Combating misinformation – providing communities with evidence-based health information to counter the spread of harmful misinformation
Dr Baptista Leite reflected that “the challenges we face today demand a global response”.
“No single country can prevent or combat pandemics alone. The WHO Pandemic Agreement is an essential step forward in ensuring that every nation has the tools, resources, and capabilities to respond to future health threats.”
More work to be done
WHO states that the Pandemic Agreement “needs to continue to garner broad international support”. Within the latest commitment, parliamentarians are to work with WHO and other international organisations to ensure the Pandemic Agreement is implemented in a way that “benefits all countries”, particularly those with “limited resources”.
“The statement signed in Berlin is expected to act as a catalyst for global parliamentary action, fostering collaboration and solidarity among nations.”
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