Germany Endorses Global Pandemic Agreement

Germany has approved an update to its public health regulations aimed at strengthening preparedness for future pandemics, drawing on key lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak.

The German Bundestag (Federal Parliament) ratified on Thursday evening an international agreement reached last year among more than 190 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The agreement focuses on improving cross-border information sharing and enhancing the capacity of national laboratories to detect and contain infectious diseases more effectively.

It also introduces a new internationally recognized alert level, known as a “Pandemic Emergency,” which can be declared by the World Health Organization when global health threats arise.