Canada's role in the development of an international pandemic agreement
On this page
- World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement
- Engagement with Canadian partners and stakeholders
- Role of the World Health Organization
- Other public health emergency tools and strategies
World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement
Canada continues to work closely with international partners to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This includes the development of the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement.
Pandemics often bring devastating health, social and economic consequences for impacted countries. Canada supported the development of a pandemic agreement to:
- improve global cooperation
- strengthen collective action and accountability
- address gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
In May 2025, at the 78th World Health Assembly, Member States adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
Currently, Member States, including Canada, are continuing negotiations on a pathogen access and benefit sharing annex. This will be an integral part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
The objectives of the annex are to:
- facilitate rapid and timely access to pathogens that have the potential to become a pandemic
- support rapid and equitable access to benefits, including vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics
These negotiations are expected to take at least 1 year.
Once the World Health Assembly also adopts the annex, the WHO Pandemic Agreement will be open for signature and ratification. Individual Member States decide if they wish to sign and ratify it. Those who sign, known as Parties, will be legally bound by the adopted text. However, Parties have the right to withdraw from it.
Canada will carefully assess the WHO Pandemic Agreement, including the annex, to determine if there are any implications for:
- the federal government
- partners and stakeholders, including:
- provinces and territories
- Indigenous partners
Canada will then decide if it will sign and ratify the WHO Pandemic Agreement. This is consistent with Canada's approach to legally binding international treaties.
While the WHO Pandemic Agreement is legally binding, Parties can determine how those obligations are implemented in their jurisdiction.
The draft text of the WHO Pandemic Agreement emphasizes sovereignty as a guiding principle. WHO does not have the authority to tell countries what laws to make or what health measures to take.
Learn more:
- Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response accord: Questions and answers
- Policy on Tabling of Treaties in Parliament
Engagement with Canadian partners and stakeholders
Canada has taken a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach in the development of the WHO Pandemic Agreement to ensure that Canadian priorities and values are reflected.
Canada's engagement strategy aims to facilitate meaningful and inclusive engagement with partners and stakeholders. These include:
- youth
- private sector
- academic experts
- Indigenous organizations
- civil society organizations
- provincial and territorial governments
Canada's Office of International Affairs for the Health Portfolio:
- has held engagement sessions with partners and stakeholders
- will continue to provide opportunities for engagement to inform the development of Canada's positions on the pathogen access and benefit sharing annex
Learn more:
- Pandemic Agreement Regional Engagement Series (January to February 2024)
- Pandemic Instrument Partner and Stakeholder Engagement Forum Report (March 2023)
Role of the World Health Organization
Canada is a strong supporter of WHO and engages with them to:
- share our expertise
- advance domestic and global health priorities
- prevent, detect and respond to global health emergencies
- protect the health of people living in Canada and around the world
WHO provides a unique international venue to convene discussions to strengthen the global health architecture. The WHO Secretariat supports the intergovernmental negotiating body by offering technical and legal guidance and scientific advice. However, the countries themselves will fully lead the process to develop a pandemic agreement and decide on its content.
WHO has no jurisdiction in Canada, and Canada will remain in control of any future domestic decisions about national restrictions or other measures related to pandemics. When negotiating a new international agreement, the Government of Canada will always carefully consider:
- its potential impact on our domestic laws and policies
- if there is a need for a domestic legislation to implement our international obligations
Other public health emergency tools and strategies
The WHO Pandemic Agreement will be one tool among others to improve how the world prevents, prepares for, and responds to future international health emergencies.
In the WHO context, countries are also working to strengthen the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005), an international instrument that is legally binding on 196 countries, including Canada. The IHR (2005), which came into force in 2007, require countries to work together for global health security. They are focused on addressing serious public health threats that have the potential to spread beyond a country's borders to other parts of the world.
Through the IHR (2005), countries have agreed to detect, assess, report on, and respond to public health events, and strengthen capacities to do so. The IHR (2005) focuses on detection and response to international health emergencies more broadly. Moreover, the WHO Pandemic Agreement will aim to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response actions specifically for pandemics using a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach.
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