Human Rights in Pandemic Agreement

Abstract Issue The Pandemic Agreement (PA) negotiation highlights the need for global coordination in pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery (PPRR). Its non-binding nature risks weaker global commitments essential for access to countermeasures, transnational regulation, multisectoral surveillance infrastructure and funding. Critical for Europe and beyond for global health security, this issue demands a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to enhance accountability and governance, offering a model for multilateral governance and State Parties to prioritise rights in PPRR implementation. Problem description This study analyses how HRBA can strengthen PA articles’ implementation, using critical analysis of PA text, human rights instruments, and case studies (e.g., TRIPS delays). Objectives include assessing HRBA's role in empowering the Conference of the Parties (COP), an international instrument, to develop compliance mechanisms for PA implementation. Questions: How can HRBA enhance COP's accountability for State Parties and global actors? What governance mechanisms support global, regional, and national PA implementation? Results HRBA facilitates multi-level governance for health policy action. It empowers WHO's international coordination of PA implementation via COP, leveraging UN human rights mechanisms, (e.g., treaty/charter bodies) to ensure State Parties prioritise PA articles. The European Convention on Human Rights (1950) and Revised European Social Charter (1996) fortify regional accountability, while national human rights institutions foster political consensus through parliamentary discussions. HRBA enhances institutional commitment and technical capacity, progressively realising health and other essential rights required for PPRR implementation. Lessons HRBA ensures global coordination for PPRR, offering a scalable governance framework for Europe and its global diplomacy to address health in international treaties and other agreements. Key messages • HRBA enhances PA’s compliance and accountability, supporting WHO’s efforts for global coordination of PPRR. • HRBA is a multi-level governance mechanism to safeguard the interests of health in multilateral/bilateral non-health affairs.