Members of the World Health Organization adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty's effectiveness. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause. The pact was touted as a victory for members of the global health agency at a time when multilateral organizations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in U.S. foreign funding.

Members of the World Health Organization adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty's effectiveness. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. WHO member countries welcomed its passing with applause.

World Health Organization (WHO) member countries on Tuesday approved the adoption of its pandemic treaty. The agreement was adopted at the 78th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. “The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and commitment of our Member States to adopt the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, according to NPR. “The Agreement is a victory for public health, science and multilateral action. It will ensure we, collectively, can better protect the world from future pandemic threats. It is also a recognition by the international community that our citizens, societies and economies must not be left vulnerable to again suffer losses like those endured during COVID-19,” he added. Notably, the United States did not attend the meeting because of President Trump’s intent to withdraw from WHO membership.

The World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) body made up of its state members, formally adopted the Pandemic Agreement on Tuesday. The agreement commits signatories to sharing medical technology, expanding vaccination campaigns, and promoting “equity.”

Accord aims to prevent repeat of disjointed response and international disarray that surrounded COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement’s text was finalised last month after multiple rounds of tense negotiations. “The world is safer today thanks to the leadership, collaboration and leadership,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.