World Health Assembly adopts new Pandemic Agreement

The World Health Organization (WHO) is holding its 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva on 19–27 May. The Finnish delegation to the Assembly is led by Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen. The Assembly adopted the new WHO Pandemic Agreement on 20 May.

The Agreement aims to strengthen international preparedness for pandemics and other public health emergencies. Finland participated in the agreement negotiations launched in 2022 as part of the European Union. The Finnish delegation for the negotiations included representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

“The Pandemic Agreement aims to strengthen international preparedness for pandemics and other public health emergencies. This also serves Finland’s interests because communicable diseases do not stop at national borders. This was seen clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Minister Grahn-Laasonen.

“The Agreement now reached is in line with Finland’s position. During the negotiations, it was important for Finland that the Agreement would not create any new binding financing commitments. Instead, the existing financing mechanisms and instruments will also continue to be used in the future,” says the Minister.

Agreement to be discussed at national level

Effective monitoring systems and cooperation between different sectors and countries, among other things, are needed to prevent and prepare for pandemics. The Pandemic Agreement includes a separate entry that the Agreement does not transfer any national powers to the WHO, not even during public health emergencies.   

Each WHO Member State will discuss the Pandemic Agreement at the national level and commit to the Agreement in accordance with its constitutional processes. In Finland, this means that the Agreement will first be considered by the Government, which will then submit a proposal to Parliament for the adoption of the Agreement. Parliament will consider the proposal and vote on it, after which the Pandemic Agreement needs to be approved by the President of the Republic.

Funding crisis in global health as a key theme of this year’s Assembly 

This year, the Assembly discussions focus on how to proportion the WHO’s actions to the new level of funding following funding cuts and the withdrawal of some of the major funding providers. The WHO is in the midst of major reprioritisation and reorganisation of its work. The work and human resources of the organisation will be significantly reduced. The crisis affects a wide range of actors working in the field of global health and humanitarian response as well as the multilateral system.

“The WHO is facing a new situation. Finland considers that the WHO plays a particularly important role in these uncertain times. We need an international organisation that promotes and protects global health. The COVID-19 pandemic also showed that the flow of information and coordinated measures at the international level are crucial in combating pandemics and other health emergencies,” says Minister Grahn-Laasonen.  

Inquiries:

Niilo Heinonen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Social Security, tel. +358 295 163 603

Outi Kuivasniemi, Senior Ministerial Adviser, International Affairs, tel. +358 295 163 117

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