Maseru, May 04 — Member States of the World Health Organization have made notable progress in negotiations on a key component of the global pandemic treaty, following a high-level meeting held in Geneva on April 27, 2026.
The resumed session of the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) focused on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, an essential element of the WHO Pandemic Agreement. While progress was achieved, countries agreed that additional time is needed to finalise the framework.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said negotiations are moving in the right direction but emphasised urgency, warning that another pandemic is inevitable. He described the PABS annex as the “last piece of the puzzle” in strengthening global pandemic preparedness following lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis.
The PABS system aims to ensure the rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential while guaranteeing fair and equitable access to resulting benefits such as vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. Finalising this annex is critical before countries can fully sign and ratify the Pandemic Agreement.
Adding her voice, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Advocacy and Marketing Officer Sebabatso Lentsoenyane said the negotiations are moving in the right direction and expressed hope for fruitful deliberations at the next meeting. She emphasised that the pathogen access annex is a crucial component of the agreement, noting that it will help ensure Africa gains timely access to vaccines without delays or excuses.
The outcomes of the Geneva meeting will be presented at the upcoming Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly. However, due to unresolved technical and legal issues, Member States are expected to request an extension of negotiations, with a final outcome likely by May 2027 or earlier through a special session.
The agreement is particularly significant for the Africa, where many countries faced major challenges during COVID-19, including delayed access to vaccines and limited manufacturing capacity. The PABS framework seeks to address these inequalities by ensuring that all countries regardless of economic status benefit fairly from scientific advancements derived from shared pathogens.
During past health emergencies, African nations often contributed vital data and biological samples but struggled to access the resulting medical tools in time. The new system is designed to correct this imbalance, strengthening health security and ensuring faster, more equitable responses in future outbreaks.
The IGWG is scheduled to continue negotiations at its seventh meeting in July 2026, as global efforts intensify to build a more inclusive and effective pandemic response system.
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