World’s historic pandemic agreement. Will Uganda seize opportunity?

________________

OPINION

By Ezra Meme

On May 20, 2025, something historic happened in Geneva.

The World Health Assembly—the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation—adopted the first-ever WHO Pandemic Agreement, bringing to a close years of negotiations triggered by the painful lessons of COVID-19. It was not perfect. But it is progress. The question now is—what next for Uganda?

Think of the pandemic agreement like a family meeting called after a house fire that has destroyed a lot of property and lives. In a bid to address the destructions and avoid such negative effects in the future, everyone agrees we need a better system next time, one that includes more fire extinguishers, a meeting point, and clear roles and responsibilities.

However, despite the proposed plan, not everyone agrees on the details. Some want sprinklers in every room; others say just teach the kids not to play with matches. After several negotiations with all responsible individuals, a plan is agreed upon for increased safety in the future. This plan is the detailed procedure (also referred to as the protocol) to be followed once a fire is detected.

This is similar for the Pandemic Accord. It is the world’s first Pandemic Agreement that sets out principles, approaches and tools for better coordination geared towards strengthening the global health efforts for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. 

Now that the agreement is adopted, countries must closely follow processes leading up to its ratification by national legislative bodies, and after 60 ratifications, the agreement must enter into force. Guided by this agreement, Uganda, one of the 194 WHO member states, will need to choose what it will do differently to prevent future pandemics or at least respond better and faster.

And here’s where I want to make a case for one thing: HIV prevention should be part of Uganda’s pandemic preparedness strategy.

Although HIV is recognised as having caused a pandemic, many don’t think of it as a pandemic anymore, and the new Pandemic Agreement is skewed towards preventing and responding to future threats rather than addressing ongoing epidemics like HIV. In fact, HIV is one of the few pandemics we’ve been living with for decades. Over 1.4 million Ugandans live with the virus today, and thousands more acquire it every year. What better reminder do we need that pandemics don’t only come with coughs and lockdowns? Some creep in quietly and stay for a generation.

This new pandemic agreement encourages countries to adopt a One Health approach—integrating human, animal, and environmental health, and emphasises upstream prevention. (Stopping health problems before they even start). which also means investing in the public health threats we already know about, such as HIV.

Uganda has made major progress in HIV care, but our prevention funding and allocations have dropped dangerously, and we are still heavily donor-dependent. We can’t wait until there’s a new virus knocking at the door before we take prevention seriously.

So, what can Uganda do next?

While the Pandemic Agreement has limited direct implications for HIV prevention, the Government of Uganda should take advantage indirectly to strengthen her HIV prevention efforts.

First, the Ministry of Health should closely follow the drafting and negotiation of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System (PABS) through the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) so that once its adopted as an annex to the Agreement and ratification by at least 60 members is completed, the Ministry of Health and ideally Parliament lead the process of adapting the WHO agreement to our national context.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but we do need to localise it. That means consultations with civil society, researchers, youth groups, and community health workers. The people who have lived through and worked on pandemics like HIV, Ebola, and COVID-19 have insights that policies alone cannot capture.

Second, let’s not miss this moment to restore domestic funding for HIV prevention. If Uganda is serious about pandemic readiness, that readiness must include condoms, PrEP, HIV testing, and youth-friendly services. HIV doesn’t need new technology. We already know what works! What we need is the political will to fund and scale it. The pandemic agreement gives us a reason and a roadmap to do that.

Third, let’s talk to the public. Yes, it’s important to engage with MPs and technical experts, but we can’t afford to leave ordinary Ugandan citizens in the dark about what this agreement means. Public knowledge can lead to public pressure, and public pressure can change political priorities. Remember how, during COVID, ordinary Ugandans shared updates faster than any newsroom? Or how young people used social media to educate and support their communities? That same energy can help shape Uganda’s pandemic policies now—if we let them in.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, said it best:

“As COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime emergency, the WHO Pandemic Agreement offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on lessons learned and ensure people worldwide are better protected.”

Fourth, Uganda should leverage the Agreement’s framework principles and infrastructure developments to strengthen its HIV prevention efforts. This may be done by applying the One Health Approach, which means integrating HIV services with other health programs; and emphasising equity, for example, the Presidential First Track Initiative that involves engaging men and bridging the gap on new infections amongst young women and adolescent girls.

Fifth, for all Uganda’s Pandemic Preparedness plans, we must integrate HIV. For example, include HIV prevention and treatment services in all emergency preparedness; prepare health providers for both pandemic roles and HIV service delivery.

Let’s not waste that opportunity.

We’ve got the agreement. Once ratified, let’s make it Ugandan. Let’s make it prevent the next pandemic—not just react to it. Let’s make it include HIV. Because pandemics don’t always announce themselves with sirens. Sometimes, they’re already here.

The writer is a public health advocate with a strong background in combating HIV-related stigma and contributing to the innovation of the HIV Stigma Index. He serves as the Programmes Lead at We Rise and Prosper (WRAP)