Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 marked a pivotal moment for global health security and multilateral cooperation. Emerging amid geopolitical tensions, climate-related health shocks, population displacement, and widening inequalities, the Agreement offered a new opportunity to strengthen collective pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. It reflected a renewed global commitment to shared responsibility and equitable resilience in future health emergencies.
This World Health Summit 2025 session – co-hosted by the WHO Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme – brought together leaders from governments, international organizations, public health institutions, and civil society to explore how the Agreement could translate commitments into coordinated action.
Moderated by Chikwe Ihekweazu (WHO Health Emergencies Programme) and Catherine Smallwood (WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence), the discussion examined how scientific collaboration, inclusive governance, and community engagement could drive global readiness before, during, and after crises.
The Speakers, Edson Rwagasore (Rwanda Biomedical Center), Maria de Lourdes Aguiar Oliveira (Fiocruz), Kareen Jabre (Inter-Parliamentary Union), Tovar da Silva Nunes (IGWG on the WHO Pandemic Agreement), Abdullah Algwizani (Public Health Authority, Saudi Arabia), and Georg Kippels (BMG) highlighted the governance mechanisms, multisectoral partnerships, and global solidarity needed to strengthen preparedness and ensure no one was left behind. The session also featured a video message from Juan Manuel Santos (The Elders).
The conversation emphasized how the Pandemic Agreement could mobilize countries and communities toward a safer, more equitable future.
The World Health Summit is the leading global platform bringing together science, politics, civil society, and the private sector to catalyze collaborative and innovative solutions for key health priorities. Learn more at www.worldhealthsummit.org.
The adoption of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 marked a pivotal moment for global health security and multilateral cooperation. Emerging amid geopolitical tensions, climate-related health shocks, population displacement, and widening inequalities, the Agreement offered a new opportunity to strengthen collective pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. It reflected a renewed global commitment to shared responsibility and equitable resilience in future health emergencies.
This World Health Summit 2025 session – co-hosted by the WHO Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Programme – brought together leaders from governments, international organizations, public health institutions, and civil society to explore how the Agreement could translate commitments into coordinated action.
Moderated by Chikwe Ihekweazu (WHO Health Emergencies Programme) and Catherine Smallwood (WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence), the discussion examined how scientific collaboration, inclusive governance, and community engagement could drive global readiness before, during, and after crises.
The Speakers, Edson Rwagasore (Rwanda Biomedical Center), Maria de Lourdes Aguiar Oliveira (Fiocruz), Kareen Jabre (Inter-Parliamentary Union), Tovar da Silva Nunes (IGWG on the WHO Pandemic Agreement), Abdullah Algwizani (Public Health Authority, Saudi Arabia), and Georg Kippels (BMG) highlighted the governance mechanisms, multisectoral partnerships, and global solidarity needed to strengthen preparedness and ensure no one was left behind. The session also featured a video message from Juan Manuel Santos (The Elders).
The conversation emphasized how the Pandemic Agreement could mobilize countries and communities toward a safer, more equitable future.
The World Health Summit is the leading global platform bringing together science, politics, civil society, and the private sector to catalyze collaborative and innovative solutions for key health priorities. Learn more at www.worldhealthsummit.org.
