WHO members extend pandemic agreement talks

WHO member states agreed this week to keep negotiating the last unresolved part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement rather than force a decision at the World Health Assembly. The dispute centers on the pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex, known as PABS, which would set rules for how countries share pathogens with pandemic potential and what they receive in return. Health Policy Watch reported that all member states supported extending the talks at the assembly’s Committee A meeting on Monday, May 19. The WHO said on May 1 that countries had already agreed more time was needed to finalize the annex. ### What exactly did countries agree to extend? The May 19 Committee A discussion concerned the PABS annex, the final piece still missing from the broader pandemic accord adopted by WHO member states in May 2025. Health Policy Watch reported that a draft annex had been expected for approval at this year’s assembly, but member states instead backed a report from the working group asking for more time. (healthpolicy-watch.news) The WHO said on May 1 that member states had “agreed additional time was needed” to complete the framework. The agency described PABS as a key part of the Pandemic Agreement because it is meant to support a more equitable response to future pandemics. ### Why is the pathogen-sharing annex proving so hard to finish? The central argument is over exchange: countries are being asked to share dangerous pathogens and sequence information quickly, while also seeking guarantees on access to the vaccines, tests and treatments developed from that material. (healthpolicy-watch.news) Reuters, as carried by The Straits Times, said the system under negotiation is intended to ensure countries rapidly share pathogens that could cause pandemics while receiving fair access to resulting medical products. (who.int) Health Policy Watch has reported for months that the divide between developed and developing country blocs remained wide as the May 2026 deadline approached. In earlier coverage, it said only a limited number of negotiating days remained and that progress had been slow in narrowing the gap. ### What is the IGWG, and why does it matter here? (straitstimes.com) The Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group, or IGWG, is the WHO body set up to draft and negotiate the PABS annex. The WHO’s meeting page says the group was established “as a priority” to negotiate that annex and submit the outcome to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly for consideration. Health Policy Watch reported that member states proposed a new “method” to continue the talks through the IGWG framework. (healthpolicy-watch.news) The WHO’s published timeline shows the group has already held six rounds of meetings, with additional sessions listed for July 2026 and September 2026. ### Does this delay affect the pandemic agreement already adopted? The WHO Pandemic Agreement itself was adopted in May 2025 after more than three years of negotiations triggered by the COVID-19 crisis. (who.int) Reuters, in a May 2 report carried by The Straits Times, said the extension of pathogen-sharing talks cast doubt on when the treaty could come into effect. (healthpolicy-watch.news) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said the decision to continue talks showed countries were still committed to finishing the job. Reuters quoted him as saying the move was “a clear signal” that member states were “forging ahead.” ### What happens next in Geneva? The WHO said the next formal step is continued negotiation of the PABS annex through the IGWG process. (straitstimes.com) Health Policy Watch reported that talks would continue this week under that framework, rather than ending with the assembly. WHO’s public timeline lists a seventh IGWG meeting for July 2026 and an eighth for September 2026, both still marked to be confirmed. (straitstimes.com) The outcome of those talks is to be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly for consideration, according to the WHO’s IGWG page. (who.int) (healthpolicy-watch.news)