Governments Advance Global Pandemic Agreement to Strengthen Future Preparedness
- Governments meeting at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva agreed to continue working on a proposed pandemic agreement ahead of the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly starting May...
- Negotiators focused on critical issues surrounding a proposed new global system for pathogen access and benefits sharing, which includes life-saving vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, member states have shown unwavering commitment during more than two years of intensive negotiations to forge a generational agreement protecting the world from a repeat...
Governments meeting at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva agreed to continue working on a proposed pandemic agreement ahead of the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly starting May 27, 2024. Representatives gathered to further refine the draft text covering pathogen access and benefits sharing, One Health coordination, and financial scaling for future global health emergencies.
Negotiators Push Forward in Geneva
Negotiators focused on critical issues surrounding a proposed new global system for pathogen access and benefits sharing, which includes life-saving vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.
Two Years of Intensive Talks
According to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, member states have shown unwavering commitment during more than two years of intensive negotiations to forge a generational agreement protecting the world from a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Member State-led Intergovernmental Negotiating Body, established over two years ago, guided the latest round of hybrid and in-person discussions.
Path Ahead Defined by Co-Chairs
INB Bureau Co-Chair Dr. Precious Matsoso from South Africa stated that the body is working through a complex and historic undertaking to establish a binding pact.
Fellow INB Bureau Co-Chair Mr. Roland Driece from the Netherlands emphasized that sovereign states launched the process in response to an unprecedented global emergency, noting that a future pandemic is a matter of when rather than if.
Unresolved Hurdles in Drafting
The unresolved operational hurdles faced by healthcare executives during the drafting process include pathogen information, equitable product access, prevention measures, and health system readiness.
While the World Health Assembly adopted the broader WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, work on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex continued through subsequent negotiating sessions, leaving the annex unfinished as of August 2026.
Action Steps for Hospital Administrators
Healthcare leaders analyzing the emerging policy framework note that the instrument moves toward signature and ratification only after the PABS annex gains adoption, requiring 60 ratifications to enter into force.
Analysts advise hospital administrators to avoid waiting for final legal outcomes by using current drafts to stress test local surveillance, supply chains, workforce readiness, and data sharing while preserving national sovereignty.