FROM CRISIS TO CONSENSUS – THE PANDEMIC TREATY IN THE ERA OF ONE HEALTH
FROM CRISIS TO CONSENSUS – THE PANDEMIC TREATY IN THE ERA OF ONE HEALTH

Summary/Abstract: On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the long-negotiated Pandemic Agreement, commonly referred to as the Pandemic Treaty. The adoption of this historic international legal instrument marks a turning point in global health governance, aiming to better prepare, prevent, and respond to future pandemics. Central to its normative and strategic framework is the integration of the One Health approach – a recognition that human health is inextricably linked to the health of animals, ecosystems, and the broader environment. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the profound vulnerabilities of the global health system and the fragmentation of international legal mechanisms. The Pandemic Treaty, developed under the auspices of the World Health Organization through the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, attempts to consolidate political will and create binding obligations in areas such as equitable access to medical countermeasures, genomic surveillance, information sharing, and coordinated national preparedness. Central to its normative structure is the formal incorporation of the One Health approach, which recognises the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health as a defining feature of contemporary pandemic risk. This article critically examines whether the integration of One Health into the Pandemic Treaty constitutes a substantive transformation of international health governance or merely consolidates pre-existing normative aspirations.

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