By Cecilia Chiluba/Zambia/Lusaka
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Zambia has called on the European Union to support binding equity provisions in negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) Annex under the World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement.
Speaking at a press conference in Lusaka on Monday, AHF Zambia Country Program Manager Dr. Webster Chewe said the outcome of the negotiations would determine whether communities in developing countries gain timely access to life-saving health technologies during future pandemics.
“Global health policies are not abstract. They determine whether communities receive life-saving care in times of crisis or not,” Dr. Chewe said.
He noted that communities across Zambia experienced the effects of global inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when vaccines and medical supplies arrived late while wealthier nations secured early access.
Dr. Chewe said negotiations on the PABS Annex are intended to ensure fair benefit-sharing when countries provide pathogen samples and genetic data for global research.
He, however cautioned that proposals based on voluntary commitments would not guarantee equitable access.
“For communities like the ones we serve, voluntary commitments are not enough,” he said. “We have seen what happens when access to medicines and vaccines depends on voluntary goodwill. Equity gets delayed. And delays cost lives.”
He urged the European Union to use its influence to support binding rules on benefit-sharing, technology transfer and accountability.
“The EU has enormous influence in these discussions. It has the ability to help deliver a strong agreement—or to weaken it,” Dr. Chewe said.
He further called for mandatory benefit-sharing from companies that profit from pathogen data, technology transfer and non-exclusive licensing to support vaccine manufacturing in regions such as Africa, and mandatory user registration to ensure transparency.
“Without these safeguards, the PABS system will not deliver the equity the world needs,” he said.
Dr. Chewe added that communities across Zambia and the wider Global South were closely monitoring the negotiations ahead of the final talks in Geneva.
“The world needs a strong PABS Annex, not a weak compromise. We call on the European Union to use its voice and vote to support binding equity provisions and ensure that the next pandemic response protects everyone—not just those who can afford it,” he added.
