Negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, a main component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, have dragged on further with member states failing to reach a consensus even after the seventh meeting on the subject last week, people familiar with the matter said.
Countries acknowledge that continued discussions are needed to finalise a framework that supports a faster, more effective and equitable response to future pandemics.
Signatories are required to rapidly share pathogen materials and digital sequence information with the global system. Users, including pharmaceutical companies and other commercial and non-commercial users like genomic firms, would not be required to enter into enforceable standard contracts with WHO detailing their responsibilities to access and benefit-sharing
Developed countries are advocating for anonymous access to the genetic sequences, making it impossible to operationalise benefit-sharing effectively. In other words, developing country members would have to share pathogen data and sequences with no guarantee that vaccines and treatments developed from them would be made available to them.
Following two weeks of negotiations during the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on Pandemic Agreement meeting, countries reaffirmed their commitment to developing a PABS system that enables the rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential, while ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use, including pandemic vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
During the meeting, member states further streamlined the draft text while continuing consultations on more complex issues to move closer to consensus. Discussions focused on interrelated elements of the PABS system, including the contractual arrangements underpinning the framework, the structure of the laboratory networks responsible for the sharing and handling of pathogens with pandemic potential and their sequence information, and the definition of benefits arising from pathogen sharing.
“I commend Member States for their continued dedication to multilateralism, dialogue and to finding common ground,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “While differences remain, those differences can be bridged if we keep our shared goal in sight: a world where pathogens and scientific information are shared rapidly, and the benefits they generate are shared fairly and equitably. The task is vital, and urgent. The next pandemic will not wait. Neither should we.”
The meeting concluded with member states reaffirming their commitment to continue intensive negotiations toward an ambitious, effective and equitable PABS annex. Finalising the annex is a critical step toward enabling countries to consider the signature and ratification of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, strengthening global health security and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response for future generations, said WHO in a statement.
“Over the past two weeks, we have made meaningful progress on some of the most technically and politically complex elements of the PABS annex,” said IGWG Bureau co-chair ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes of Brazil. “The remaining issues are challenging, but we have a clear path to completing this important work.”
“The progress made at this meeting reflects our shared determination to deliver an effective, robust and equitable PABS system,” said IGWG Bureau co-chair Matthew Harpur. “With continued momentum, we can finalise an annex that strengthens global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.”
The IGWG will hold its eighth meeting from 14-18 September 2026.
In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement to strengthen international cooperation in preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics. The member states also established an open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group to undertake key tasks related to the Agreement, including drafting and negotiating the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system.
