WHO extends pandemic agreement talks one year

WHO member states have agreed to give themselves another year to finish the only major unresolved piece of the Pandemic Agreement: the annex on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing, or PABS. The decision means the broader accord, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2025, still cannot move to signature because the treaty text says that step comes only after the annex is adopted. WHO said on May 1 that countries had made progress but needed more time to settle how pathogens, genetic sequence data and the benefits from resulting products would be shared. The extension pushes the final deadline into 2027, even as global health officials warn preparedness remains uneven. ### Why is one annex holding up the whole agreement? Article 12 of the WHO Pandemic Agreement covers the PABS system, which is meant to govern how countries rapidly share pathogens with pandemic potential and, on the other side, how vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and other benefits are shared in return. WHO describes that system as a central pillar of the agreement. Because the annex has not been finalized, the agreement has not yet opened for signature or ratification. (who.int) The World Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement on May 20, 2025 after more than three years of negotiations that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. But member states carved out the most contentious operational details for later talks under a separate Intergovernmental Working Group. (who.int) ### What are countries still arguing over? WHO said the unresolved work concerns the framework for ensuring a better and more equitable response to future pandemics. In practice, that has centered on the tradeoff between rapid access to pathogen samples and sequence information, and guaranteed access to the products developed from them. (who.int) The PABS design matters because lower-income countries have long argued that they should not be expected to share biological materials quickly in an outbreak without firmer assurances that they will get timely and affordable access to vaccines, tests and treatments. WHO’s own description of the annex reflects that balance, saying pathogen sharing and benefit sharing are meant to happen on an equal footing and according to public health need. (who.int) ### What happened in the latest round of talks? WHO said on March 28 that member states had already extended negotiations once, with talks resuming in late April ahead of the 2026 World Health Assembly. On May 1, after that resumed session, WHO said countries had progressed work on the annex but agreed that additional time was needed to finalize it. (who.int) The Intergovernmental Working Group was created by the Health Assembly specifically to draft and negotiate the PABS annex. WHO’s meeting timeline shows additional sessions penciled in for July and September 2026, indicating that technical and political bargaining will continue this year before the issue returns to member states. (who.int) ### Why are health officials still pressing for a deal? The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board said in its 2026 report, published this week, that it examined a decade of major health emergencies to assess whether the world is becoming more resilient or more vulnerable. The board said its findings and recommendations were aimed at priorities for a “pandemic-resilient future.” (who.int) WHO has separately said the number of high-threat infectious hazards continues to rise, with some diseases re-emerging and others newly emerging. That backdrop has kept pressure on negotiators to finish the annex that would operationalize pathogen sharing and access rules before the next major outbreak tests the system again. (gpmb.org) ### What happens next, and when? WHO’s current timetable shows the Intergovernmental Working Group continuing its work through at least 2026, with the outcome of the annex negotiations intended for Health Assembly consideration. Under the assembly resolution adopted with the Pandemic Agreement, the treaty opens for signature only after the annex is adopted. (who.int) That means the next concrete milestone is not treaty ratification but more annex bargaining in Geneva, with member states, WHO negotiators and the Intergovernmental Working Group expected back in session before the issue comes up again at a future World Health Assembly. (who.int)