WHO Member States Seek More Time to Finalise Key Pandemic Agreement Mechanism

Despite “real progress,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised that further negotiations are necessary. He urged countries to maintain urgency, warning that another pandemic is inevitable.

Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have made notable progress in shaping a crucial component of the global Pandemic Agreement, but have agreed that more time is needed to finalise it. The discussions, held in Geneva during the resumed sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), focused on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system—a central pillar of future pandemic preparedness.

The PABS framework is designed to ensure that countries rapidly share pathogens with pandemic potential while also guaranteeing fair and equitable access to resulting benefits, such as vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. This mechanism aims to address global inequalities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where access to life-saving tools was often uneven.

Despite "real progress," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised that further negotiations are necessary. He urged countries to maintain urgency, warning that another pandemic is inevitable.

"The PABS annex is the last piece of the puzzle—not only for the Pandemic Agreement but for all global efforts shaped by lessons from COVID-19," Dr Tedros said.

The outcome of the recent discussions will be presented at the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA) later this month. However, due to unresolved technical and legal issues, Member States are expected to consider extending the IGWG's mandate. This would allow continued negotiations, with the goal of finalising the PABS system by May 2027, or earlier through a special WHA session in 2026.

Leaders involved in the negotiations acknowledged both the complexity and importance of the task. IGWG Bureau Co-Chair Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes of Brazil noted that while progress has been steady, the technical and legal intricacies require careful deliberation.

"We are not there yet, but with an extension of our negotiations, we will get there," he said.

Similarly, IGWG Co-Chair Matthew Harpur highlighted the strong commitment shown by Member States, expressing confidence that the framework will eventually provide the necessary structure for a more coordinated and equitable global response to future health crises.

The next round of negotiations is scheduled for 6 to 17 July 2026, when the IGWG will convene for its seventh meeting.

The broader context of these discussions lies in the WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted in May 2025. The agreement represents a landmark global effort to strengthen how countries prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics. The PABS system is considered essential for operationalising the agreement, particularly in ensuring that all countries—regardless of income level—can benefit from scientific advancements during global health emergencies.

As negotiations continue, the focus remains on balancing rapid scientific collaboration with equitable access—an issue that has become central to global health governance in the post-COVID era.