WHO pandemic pact stalls

The World Health Organization’s pandemic agreement has hit another delay over the unresolved rules for sharing pathogens and the benefits from products made from them. WHO member states said on May 1 they needed more time to finish the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex, the last major piece needed before the agreement can move toward implementation. The issue resurfaced at the World Health Assembly in Geneva this week as WHO confronts a growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. WHO said on May 20 the outbreak had reached 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, and officials warned that a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain could take about nine months. ### What exactly is stuck in the pandemic agreement? The unresolved section is the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing, or PABS, annex. That annex is meant to set the terms for how countries share pathogens with pandemic potential and how vaccines, tests and treatments developed from that material are shared back more equitably. WHO said on May 1 that member states had made progress but agreed that more time was needed to finalize the framework. (who.int) The World Health Assembly adopted the broader Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, but the PABS annex was left for follow-on negotiation. WHO’s intergovernmental working group was tasked with drafting that annex and submitting the outcome to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026. WHO’s meeting timeline shows the group has already held multiple rounds of talks and is scheduled for further sessions in July and September. (who.int) ### Why are countries still arguing over pathogen sharing? Developing countries and wealthier countries have differed over what fair return should look like when virus samples or sequence data are shared. The BMJ reported that the annex would define how benefits from products created using shared pathogen data should be distributed, while WHO described the work as part of building a more equitable response to future pandemics. (who.int) Statements filed around the assembly show the split has not closed. The South Centre, which represents developing-country interests, said on May 18 that a one-year extension was needed to finalize the annex and said developing countries had pushed proposals it said could have concluded negotiations. Industry group IFPMA, in a separate statement the same day, said pharmaceutical companies remained critical partners in pandemic preparedness and response. (bmj.com) ### What is happening with Ebola while those talks drag on? WHO said on May 20 that the Ebola outbreak spanning the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda had risen to 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak involved the Bundibugyo virus species, a strain for which there is no approved vaccine. Reuters and other outlets reported WHO officials saying a vaccine candidate could take around nine months. (southcentre.int) On May 17, WHO determined the outbreak was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The agency said that as of May 16, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had reported eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province, while the wider regional picture included cross-border spread and uncertainty over the epidemic’s scale. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on May 19 that more than 500 suspected cases and 130 deaths had been reported, with 30 laboratory-confirmed cases. (aljazeera.com) ### Does the treaty delay affect the Ebola response now? WHO has not said the stalled annex is the cause of the current Ebola response problems. The immediate obstacle in this outbreak is scientific as well as logistical: the Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment, according to WHO and the BMJ. WHO has said the outbreak is a high regional risk event, and officials have emphasized patient care, diagnostics and emergency response measures while vaccine work proceeds. (who.int) The overlap in timing has still drawn attention because the PABS dispute centers on the same question global health officials have argued over since COVID-19 — how quickly pathogens are shared and how the resulting medical tools are distributed. WHO Director-General Tedros said when the extension was announced that the next pandemic is “a matter of when, not if,” according to Reuters reporting carried by U.S. News. (bmj.com) ### What happens next in Geneva? WHO’s official timeline says the intergovernmental working group will continue negotiating the PABS annex through additional meetings in July and September 2026. The outcome of that work is due to be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly for consideration later this year. Until then, the pandemic agreement remains incomplete on the part that governs pathogen access and benefit sharing. (who.int 1) (who.int 2)