WHO pandemic pact stalled over pathogen sharing

WHO member states have not reopened the entire pandemic accord. The immediate dispute is over one unfinished piece: the pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex, known in WHO talks as PABS. WHO said on May 1 that countries agreed more time was needed to finalize that framework, and the organization’s current timeline says the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group, or IGWG, is tasked with drafting and negotiating the annex. ### What exactly is stuck if the WHO pandemic agreement was already adopted? The World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement on May 20, 2025, under resolution WHA78.1. But the adopted text left Article 12 to be operationalized through a separate annex covering pathogen access and benefit sharing. WHO says that annex must still be negotiated before the full agreement can open for signature and ratification. (who.int) Article 12 is the part that tries to connect two demands that have long pulled against each other in outbreak diplomacy. One is rapid sharing of pathogen samples and sequence information into a global system. The other is fair and equitable sharing of the benefits that come from that material, including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics. (apps.who.int) ### Why is pathogen sharing such a hard fight? Hindustan Times reported on May 21, 2026 that negotiations had been “paralysed” over pathogen sharing and that member states agreed to continue under the IGWG rather than force a final deal in this session. The report said the impasse reflects tension between developed and developing countries over how quickly materials and digital sequence information should be shared, and what countries providing those materials receive in return. (apps.who.int) WHO’s own draft annex shows why the argument is so sensitive. The text describes a multilateral system for “rapid and timely” sharing of PABS materials and sequence information, paired “on an equal footing” with “fair and equitable” sharing of benefits arising from their use for public-health purposes. ### What benefits are countries arguing about? (hindustantimes.com) The 2025 assembly resolution gives one concrete measure of what benefit-sharing could look like. It says each participating manufacturer would make available to WHO, through legally binding contracts, rapid access targeting 20% of its real-time production of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for the pathogen causing a pandemic emergency, with at least half of that amount provided as donations and the rest reserved at affordable prices. (apps.who.int) That provision goes to the core political bargain. Countries that share samples and sequence data want assurances that they will not be left at the back of the line for medical countermeasures, a grievance that shaped many governments’ view of the COVID-19 response. The House of Commons Library said the treaty process was designed to address gaps in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and to work alongside the International Health Regulations. (apps.who.int) ### What happens next in the process? WHO said on May 1 that member states had made progress on the PABS annex but needed additional time to finalize it. A separate WHO page on the IGWG says the group was established as a priority to draft and negotiate the annex and that the outcome of its work will be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) WHO’s pandemic agreement overview sets out the sequence from here. Once the annex is adopted by the World Health Assembly, the full agreement can be opened for countries to sign and ratify through their domestic processes, and it would enter into force 30 days after 60 ratifications. (who.int 1) (who.int 2)