WHO extends pandemic talks

WHO member states arrived at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva this week with one major piece of last year’s pandemic deal still unfinished. On May 1, countries agreed they needed more time to settle the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex, known as PABS, which is meant to govern how pathogen samples are shared and how resulting benefits such as vaccines, diagnostics and treatments are distributed. (who.int) The delay comes as the assembly is meeting under pressure from active outbreaks and funding strains. (who.int) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, told delegates on May 19 that he had declared a public health emergency of international concern over Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, citing concern about the “scale and speed” of the epidemic. (who.int) The immediate picture is a mix of unfinished rule-making and live emergency response. More than 190 countries are attending the assembly, where ministers are also discussing health financing, antimicrobial resistance and broader reforms to global health governance. (who.int) ### Why are countries still negotiating a deal that was already adopted? May 2025 was when the World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement after more than three years of talks, but it left the PABS annex to be negotiated separately. WHO says that annex is the mechanism for rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use. (who.int) The unresolved annex matters because WHO says finalizing it is necessary before countries can move ahead with signature and ratification of the broader agreement. Tedros said on May 1 that “the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if,” while IGWG co-chair Matthew Harpur said member states had shown “strong and continuing commitment” to the talks. (paho.org) ### What exactly is holding up the missing annex? The PABS annex is the most technical and politically sensitive part of the agreement because it links access to pathogen materials with access to the products developed from them. WHO described it as the “last piece of the puzzle” for the pandemic agreement and said more time was needed to finalize the framework. (who.int) Brazil’s Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes, a bureau co-chair of the negotiating group, said finalizing a document of that legal and technical complexity required “precision and dedication.” WHO did not say in its May 1 release that the talks had collapsed; it said progress had been made and that differences remained. (who.int) ### Why is this debate landing in the middle of outbreak warnings? Tedros told the assembly on May 19 that WHO had confirmed 30 Ebola cases in northeastern Congo and two in Kampala, including one death, while more than 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths were under investigation. He said cases had appeared in urban areas including Kampala and Goma, and that the outbreak involved Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no vaccines or therapeutics. (who.int) Geneva-based UN officials said the assembly also opened amid concern over hantavirus, funding cuts and geopolitical tension. Tedros said recent crises showed the need for stronger international cooperation rather than fragmentation. (who.int) ### How much is money shaping the WHO’s warning? February 2 was when Tedros told WHO’s executive board that cuts to international aid and persistent funding gaps were undermining the global health system. He said sudden and severe cuts to bilateral aid had caused major disruptions to health systems and services in many countries. WHO budget documents cited by UN officials showed nearly $360 million in unpaid assessed contributions at the end of 2025. (who.int) UN reporting on the assembly said steep donor reductions over the past year had forced WHO to restructure programs and reduce staffing. ### Is there any good news in Geneva this week? Kenya received WHO recognition on May 19 for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, after recording zero indigenous cases since 2009, according to Kenya’s health ministry. (ungeneva.org) WHO validation was granted in June 2025, and Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale received the certificate in Geneva. The next formal step on the pandemic talks is already set. (news.un.org) WHO said the Intergovernmental Working Group will hold its seventh meeting from July 6 to July 17, and member states will aim to submit an outcome to the next World Health Assembly in May 2027, or earlier through a special session in 2026. (who.int) (health.go.ke) (ungeneva.org)