WHO extends pandemic treaty talks

WHO member states agreed this week to extend talks on the last unfinished part of the pandemic agreement, keeping alive a deal that governments adopted in principle last year but have not yet fully completed. The decision covers the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex, the section meant to govern how countries share pathogen samples and how resulting vaccines, tests and treatments are distributed. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said the extension showed countries were still committed to the accord rather than abandoning it. The move comes as the agency is also cutting programmes and staff after a funding squeeze linked in part to the U.S. withdrawal, and as a worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo tests the global health system. ### Why are governments still negotiating if the pandemic agreement was already adopted? The World Health Organization said on May 1 that member states needed more time to finalize the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing, or PABS, annex, a core part of the pandemic agreement. That annex is meant to set the rules for how countries and laboratories share pathogen materials and data during outbreaks, and what benefits — including access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments — flow back in return. Tedros said the extra time did not amount to a retreat. According to the WHO, he told member states they were “not pushing the agreement away” but trying to complete a framework for a “better, more equitable” response to future pandemics. The extension allows negotiations to continue for up to a year. ### What is holding up the final text? Pathogen sharing has been one of the hardest issues in the talks because it links scientific access to commercial and political questions about who gets countermeasures first. The WHO said the PABS annex is a “key part” of the agreement, suggesting member states were unwilling to close the file without detailed rules on that point. March 28 was already one missed deadline. The WHO said then that negotiators would continue discussions into late April ahead of the World Health Assembly in May, but the final package was still not ready when member states met again this month. Swissinfo reported that the world may have to wait another year for the final implementation framework. ### How much does the funding crisis matter here? The WHO’s budget problem is running alongside the treaty talks. Swissinfo reported that donor cuts led by the U.S. withdrawal are forcing the Geneva-based agency to reduce programmes, cut management and staff, and narrow some operations. A separate Swissinfo report said the WHO had proposed cutting its budget by 20% after the U.S., historically its largest contributor, moved to leave the organization. Another Swissinfo report said the agency was trying to close a $1.8 billion gap for 2026-2027 after reducing its budget to $4.2 billion. Those pressures have affected planning for tuberculosis, women’s health and emergency work, according to the outlet. ### What is happening in Congo while the talks drag on? The Democratic Republic of the Congo is dealing with an Ebola outbreak that has escalated in recent days. CBC reported on Tuesday that at least 131 people had died and more than 500 suspected cases had been recorded in eastern Congo, citing the Congolese health ministry. The WHO said on May 17 that the outbreak in Congo and Uganda had been determined a public health emergency of international concern. In that notice, the agency said that as of May 16 there had been eight laboratory-confirmed cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province in Congo, and warned of a high risk of further spread in neighboring countries. Tedros separately expressed concern about the “scale and speed” of the epidemic, according to CBC. ### Was there any positive health news at the assembly? Kenya received WHO recognition this week for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, as a public health problem. The Standard reported that Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale received the recognition during the World Health Assembly in Geneva after WHO confirmed Kenya had recorded zero indigenous cases since 2009. The WHO had validated Kenya’s elimination status in August 2025, making it the 10th country to reach that milestone. Tedros said at the time that Kenya was joining a growing group of countries freeing their populations from the disease. The next step is another round of negotiations on the PABS annex before the agreement returns to member states for formal consideration. The WHO said member states had agreed to use the additional period to finalize the framework and bring the unfinished section back to the World Health Assembly process.