Newswise — NEW YORK, May 20, 2025 – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) issued the following remarks upon adoption by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a groundbreaking International Agreement on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. This marks the first time countries from around the world have united behind a plan to prevent, prepare for, and respond to catastrophic pandemics.
WCS welcomed the agreement which was adopted by consensus today in Geneva. Over the next year, governments plan to negotiate an annex to the agreement which is not yet open for signature, on pathogen access and benefit sharing.
The agreement obligates WHO member states to develop national pandemic prevention and surveillance plans, requiring multisectoral action and community engagement. Critically, the Pandemic Agreement recognizes the need for prevention through upstream interventions, such as safeguarding intact ecosystems and tackling the commercial live wildlife trade. The accord’s inclusion of commitments to prevent pathogen spillover—the source of epidemics and pandemics—is potentially game-changing.
The agreement acknowledges that sustainable prevention must involve those most affected, particularly communities living closest to the human–animal–environment interfaces. It includes a strong commitment to One Health, mandating cross-sectoral surveillance systems. Such surveillance represents a major step toward dismantling siloed approaches that have plagued coordinated pandemic prevention. The agreement calls for early-warning systems that bridge veterinary, public health, and environmental data streams. And it establishes initial guidelines for equitable benefits sharing from pathogens such as vaccines and therapeutics.
WCS scientists and other experts, who have been contributing to the negotiations of the agreement in Geneva throughout the process for more than three years, applaud its adoption as an important step toward collaboration across borders and disciplines to prevent and address pandemics that could, like COVID-19, lead to the death of millions. WCS’s involvement in the negotiations for the agreement builds on decades of global health engagement —from the pioneering 2004 Manhattan Principles to the 2019 Berlin Principles on One Health, and WCS’s influential international policy work through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Said Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS Vice President of International Policy: “With this agreement, the world has taken a decisive step forward for our collective survival. As a global conservation organization working at the intersection of wildlife health, biodiversity conservation, and human well-being, WCS recognizes the immense potential of the WHO Pandemic Agreement to elevate primary prevention through a One Health approach. The agreement commits governments to taking action at the national level to limit the interfaces between wildlife, domestic animals, and people—including in live animal markets—as part of prevention at source. More than just a document, the agreement represents a global commitment to multilateralism and collaboration across borders and disciplines.”
Said Dr. Chris Walzer, WCS Executive Director of Health: “WCS’s transdisciplinary efforts reflect what the agreement aspires to: locally grounded, science-driven, and equity-focused strategies to reduce the risk of pathogen emergence at the source. We know from experience that preventing, preparing and responding to pandemics demands addressing primary drivers such as land-use change, live wildlife markets in urban centers, biodiversity loss, and the climate emergency, all of which are recognized in the agreement. Moving forward, we must invest in the systems that will prevent future pandemics and not just respond to them. This means enshrining One Health in national legislation and policy while ensuring its implementation is equitable, science-based, and inclusive of traditional knowledge and community voices.
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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS combines the power of its zoos and an aquarium in New York City and a Global Conservation Program in more than 50 countries to achieve its mission to save wildlife and wild places. WCS runs the world’s largest conservation field program, protecting more than 50 percent of Earth’s known biodiversity; in partnership with governments, Indigenous People, Local Communities, and the private sector. It’s four zoos and aquarium (the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium ) welcome more than 3.5 million visitors each year, inspiring generations to care for nature. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org. Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242. Listen to the WCS Wild Audio podcast HERE.