Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement Wednesday, announcing that its members have reached an agreement to prepare the world for future pandemics after over three years of intensive negotiations. The proposal aims to strengthen global collaboration on prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemic threats.

According to Qatar News Agency, this legally binding agreement aims to strengthen the world's defenses against emerging pathogens, after the COVID-19 pandemic claimed millions of lives during 2020-2022. The agreement outlines measures to prevent future pandemics and enhance global cooperation, including establishing a pathogen access and benefit sharing system and building geographically diverse research capacity, among other things.

The agreement also proposes the creation of a global supply chain and logistics network with a focus on strengthening health system resilience and preparedness. "WHO Member States took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics," the organization said in the statement.

The agreement is seen as a victory for the WHO, at a time when multilateral organizations, such as the WHO, have been severely impacted by severe cuts in US foreign funding. The issue of future pandemics has become a focus of increasing global attention since the COVID-19 crisis subsided, amid calls to unify international efforts to fund research and provide effective mechanisms for delivering vaccines and medical supplies to areas where serious epidemics recur.

The negotiations faced complex challenges, particularly regarding financing, technology exchange, and the equitable distribution of medicines.