The World Health Organization has officially acknowledged the crucial contributions of several national leaders in ensuring the approval of the WHO Pandemic Agreement by the seventy-eighth World Health Assembly, which took place in May 2025.

During a dedicated gathering at WHO Headquarters in Geneva on 10 July 2025, commemorative plaques were awarded to representatives from two nations whose past and present presidents, Sebastián Piñera of Chile and Kais Saied of Tunisia, played instrumental roles in supporting the Agreement from the beginning. Additionally, certificates were given to leaders from 25 other countries in recognition of their leadership and dedication throughout the negotiation period.

“The World Health Assembly’s decision to approve the Pandemic Agreement marked a significant milestone for international public health,” stated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “Such an achievement would not have been possible without consistent and high-level political endorsement.”

The recognition extended to leaders—both current and former—from Albania, Costa Rica, Croatia, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

This Agreement signals a unified effort toward building a stronger and more equitable global health system, placing emphasis on collaboration, fairness, and mutual responsibility.

The drive toward establishing the Agreement gained strength after a 2021 opinion piece appeared in prominent global media. In it, 25 leaders from across the world and key international organizations advocated for a binding international accord on future pandemic preparedness.

Following its adoption, focused work has commenced on critical areas of the Agreement, particularly surrounding the access to pathogens and equitably sharing their benefits. Oversight and coordination of this work are being handled by an intergovernmental body known as the IGWG on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which held its inaugural session earlier this week.