WHO PABS Negotiations: Progress Towards Pandemic Agreement Annex

International negotiations are progressing toward a landmark agreement aimed at bolstering global preparedness for future pandemics. Representatives from World Health Organization (WHO) member states recently concluded a week of discussions focused on finalizing a critical annex to the 2025 Pandemic Agreement: the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system. The meetings, the fifth convened by the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), took place from February 9 to February 14 in Geneva.

The PABS system is designed to accelerate the world’s response to emerging infectious disease threats. A core principle is the rapid sharing of pathogen materials and genetic sequence data – the building blocks for developing diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines. However, recognizing the complexities involved, the system also aims to ensure equitable benefit-sharing, addressing concerns that have historically hampered international collaboration during health crises.

“Countries this week have again shown their steadfast commitment to getting the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex done,” stated Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes of Brazil, a co-chair of the IGWG. The statement underscores the recognition that a functioning PABS system is essential to realizing the full potential of the Pandemic Agreement.

The Need for a Coordinated Global Response

The COVID-19 pandemic starkly revealed vulnerabilities in global pandemic preparedness, and response. Delays in sharing viral genomic data, coupled with inequities in access to vaccines and therapeutics, contributed to the scale and duration of the crisis. The WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted in 2025, represents a concerted effort to address these shortcomings and build a more resilient global health security architecture.

The PABS system is a central component of this effort. By facilitating the timely exchange of pathogen information, it aims to compress the timeline for developing medical countermeasures. Equally important, the agreement seeks to establish a framework for fair and equitable distribution of the benefits derived from these countermeasures – ensuring that countries contributing to the initial data sharing also have access to the resulting innovations.

Navigating Complexities and Remaining Challenges

While significant progress has been made, negotiators acknowledge that important differences remain. “important differences remain, but there is a shared recognition of what is at stake,” noted Mr. Matthew Harpur of the United Kingdom, the other co-chair of the IGWG. Streamlining the text of the annex while addressing these contentious issues is a key priority as the May deadline approaches, when the outcome will be presented to the World Health Assembly (WHA).

The challenges lie in balancing the need for rapid access with legitimate concerns about intellectual property, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and the potential for misuse of pathogen information. As highlighted in previous discussions, the sharing of pathogen data can sometimes be met with economic repercussions for the originating country, as seen with the identification of the Omicron variant in South Africa in 2021. The PABS system aims to mitigate such risks by establishing clear guidelines and safeguards.

Stakeholder Engagement and the Path Forward

The recent negotiations weren’t confined to government representatives. Member states also engaged with stakeholders from the private sector, academic institutions, laboratories, and sequence information databases. This inclusive approach reflects the understanding that a successful PABS system requires collaboration across diverse sectors.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of continued multilateralism. “Strong multilateralism remains essential as countries have to face future pandemics together, collectively,” he stated. He expressed confidence that an agreement on the PABS annex will be reached in time for the WHA meeting in May.

The coming weeks will be critical. Negotiators face the task of bridging remaining gaps and delivering a PABS annex that is not only legally sound but also practical, effective, and equitable. The ultimate goal is to create a system that fosters a spirit of global solidarity and ensures that the world is better prepared to prevent, detect, and respond to future pandemic threats. The PABS instrument is essential because without it, the Pandemic Agreement cannot be ratified and enter into force.

Pathogen Access (PA) refers to the rapid sharing of “materials and sequence information on pathogens with pandemic potential”. This information is crucial for prevention strategies and the development of products needed to respond to a pandemic threat, such as vaccines and medicines.