WHO talks stall on pathogen sharing

The WHO pandemic deal is stuck on the part that matters most when the next outbreak starts — who shares the bug, who gets the data, and who gets the shots first. Negotiators met again in Geneva this week, from April 27 to May 1, trying to finish the pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex, known as PABS. They did not get it done. And that means the broader Pandemic Agreement, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2025, still cannot move to signature and ratification. (who.int) ### What is the missing piece? PABS is the annex that would govern how countries share pathogen samples and genetic sequence information during a dangerous outbreak, and what they get back in return. The basic idea is simple: if a country quickly hands over the virus sample or(who.int)t of the treaty because it turns pandemic solidarity into something concrete — access, contracts, and supply. (apps.who.int) ### Why is this the hard fight? Because COVID burned this issue into memory. Lower-income countries shared samples and data, but many then watched richer countries lock up early vaccine supply. So a lot of governments, especially from Africa and other lower-income blocs, want binding benefit-sharing rules, not vague promises. Some wealthier countries and industry-facing negotiators(apps.who.int) be returned. That is the north-south split sitting underneath almost every line of text. (healthpolicy-watch.news) ### What happened this week in Geneva? This was the resumed sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group, scheduled for long hybrid sessions running April 27 through May 1 at WHO headquarters. The talks were meant to finish text in time for the World Health Assembly later in May. But by the end of the week, civil-society(healthpolicy-watch.news) 28 after an earlier round also failed to close the gap. (who.int) ### Why does the annex block the whole treaty? Because the 2025 Pandemic Agreement was adopted with this annex left unfinished. WHO’s own explainer is blunt about the sequence — the annex has to be adopted before the full agreement opens for countries to sign and ratify. So this is not a side document. It is the lock on the front door. Until PABS is agreed, the treaty exists politically, but not yet operationally in the way governments can join it. (who.int) ### Where is Africa in this? African diplomats have been trying to tighten coordination before the Geneva round. The African Group of ambassadors in Geneva held a high-level workshop on April 28 to unify its position on PABS, calling it the most contentious part of the Pandemic Agreement. Around the same time, Africa CDC was also pushing broader sovereignty language in Nairobi — the message (who.int)cceptable. (au.int) ### So what is everyone really bargaining over? Control and trust, basically. One side wants rapid access to samples and sequence data because delays can cost lives. The other side wants enforceable returns — doses, technology transfer, financing, or reserved production — because “share now, maybe benefit later” is exactly the model many c(au.int)r countries get exploited. If rules are too rigid, countries or companies may share less or move slower. (apps.who.int) ### What’s the bottom line? The WHO does have a pandemic agreement. But it still lacks the mechanism that would make outbreak sharing politically credible. Until negotiators crack PABS, the post-COVID promise of a fairer system remains unfinished — and the next emergency will arrive before trust does. (who.int)