WHO treaty stalls on pathogens

WHO member states are still stuck on the part of the pandemic agreement that determines who shares dangerous pathogens, and who gets the vaccines, tests and treatments made from them. The dispute centers on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system, or PABS, an annex left unfinished when the World Health Assembly adopted the broader agreement on May 20, 2025. WHO said on May 1 that countries had made progress but needed more time, extending negotiations and pushing the issue beyond this week’s assembly in Geneva. WHO’s own overview says the agreement cannot open for signature and ratification until the annex is adopted. That makes the current impasse narrower than “the treaty failed,” but more consequential than a drafting delay. The broader pandemic agreement already exists on paper; the unresolved annex is the mechanism for exchanging pathogen samples and genetic sequence information in return for access to medical countermeasures. WHO says that system is meant to ensure “rapid and timely” sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and “fair and equitable” sharing of benefits arising from their use. (who.int) ### What exactly is the annex countries still cannot finish? The PABS annex is the agreement’s operational core on access and equity. WHO says it is supposed to define how pathogens with pandemic potential are shared and how benefits from that sharing — including vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics — are distributed on an equal footing. (who.int) The March 28 and May 1 WHO updates show where talks bogged down. Member states were still arguing over how benefits should be defined and distributed, what contractual arrangements would underpin the system, and what governance rules would make it work “effectively, transparently and in the public interest.” (who.int) ### Why does this hold up the rest of the agreement? WHO’s pandemic agreement page states that once the annex is adopted by the World Health Assembly, the full agreement will be open for countries to sign and ratify under their own constitutional processes. It says the agreement then enters into force 30 days after 60 countries ratify it. Until the annex is done, that clock does not start. (who.int) The WHO news release on May 1 put it plainly: finalizing the PABS annex is necessary so countries can proceed with signature and ratification of the pandemic agreement. BMJ, describing the accord as left “in limbo,” reported that without the PABS agreement adopted, the accord as a whole is not fully formalized or legally binding. (who.int) ### Who is saying what about the deadlock? Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said on May 1 that “real progress was made” on the annex but urged countries to keep working with urgency because the next pandemic is “a matter of when, not if.” Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes of Brazil, an IGWG bureau co-chair, said the negotiators were “not there yet.” Matthew Harpur of the United Kingdom, the other co-chair cited by WHO, said member states had shown a “strong and continuing commitment” to the talks. (who.int) Outside WHO, the pressure has been sharper. BMJ reported that Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Helen Clark, co-chairs of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, called the failure to finalize the last part of the accord before the May 2026 deadline “deeply regrettable.” ### If the treaty is stuck, what are governments doing instead? May 14 brought a reminder that preparedness work is continuing outside the negotiating room. (who.int) WHO’s Africa office said members of The Elders visited its emergency preparedness and response hub in Nairobi, where they observed surveillance, logistics and operational support for outbreaks across the region. WHO Africa said countries in the region had faced more than 140 health emergencies in 2025. (bmj.com) May 19 brought another parallel track in Geneva. The World Federation of Public Health Associations said participants at a World Health Assembly side event adopted the Geneva Principles for One Health Implementation, linking human, animal and environmental health and calling for more coordinated action against emerging infectious diseases and other cross-sector threats. CGTN separately reported that the principles were presented as a way to turn broad commitments into action. (afro.who.int) ### What happens next in the formal process? The World Health Assembly is being held in Geneva from May 18 to May 23, 2026, according to WHO. The May 1 WHO release said the assembly would be asked to continue the Intergovernmental Working Group’s mandate and have it submit an outcome to the next assembly in May 2027, or earlier through a special session in 2026. WHO also set the IGWG’s seventh meeting for July 6-17, 2026. (wfpha.org) (who.int)