Australia Signs up to WHO Pandemic Agreement

Health Minister Mark Butler warned a new pandemic could be on the way in the future.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the opening of the 74th World Health Assembly at the WHO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 24, 2021. Laurent Gillieron/Pool via Reuters

Australia has backed the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) global pandemic agreement, as the United States was a no-show at the assembly.

Australian ministers said the WHO agreement takes into account “lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic” and supports “collective action” to address pandemic threats. This includes increasing disease surveillance and vaccine access.