UN General Assembly passes pandemic prevention declaration amid US, Israel, Argentina opposition
The UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding political declaration on pandemic prevention with 153 votes in favour, while the United States, Israel and Argentina voted against it.
On Monday the United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt a political declaration aimed at bolstering pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with 153 member states supporting the measure, three opposing and two abstaining. The United States, Israel and Argentina cast votes against the text, while New Zealand and Paraguay chose to abstain. The non-binding declaration emphasizes science-based, equitable, human-rights-respecting cooperation and references the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted the previous year.
It also urges countries to finalize the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex, a key step before the agreement can be opened for signature. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the outcome as a strong commitment by member states and called for rapid implementation of the pledged actions. Concurrently, WHO launched a five-year strategy for its Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence to detect emerging health threats within 24 hours.
Why it matters
The vote signals broad international support for stronger pandemic safeguards, but dissent highlights ongoing disputes over pathogen sharing and benefit distribution.
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