By Monica Mayuni,Zambia, Lusaka
MEMBER states of the World Health Organization ( WHO) have agreed to extend negotiations on a critical component of the proposed Pandemic Agreement, delaying consensus on how countries would share pathogens and the benefits derived from them, as cornerstone of global health security.
The decision, announced ahead of the World Health Assembly (WHA) scheduled for later in May, centred on the unresolved Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, intended to govern how biological samples and related data are exchanged internationally, and how resulting vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments are equitably distributed.
According to WHO, the extension reflected both the technical complexity and political sensitivity of the issue, with countries divided over access, intellectual property, and fairness in benefit-sharing fault lines that had been exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The delay drew concern from global health leaders, who warned that without agreement on the annex, the broader Pandemic Agreement could not move forward toward ratification.
In a statement released the same day, Helen Clark, co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said the failure to finalize the PABS annex in time was “deeply regrettable” and risked stalling the entire agreement.
“A PABS Annex which delivers on equity is an essential component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” Ms Clark said, adding that without it, “the Agreement as a whole cannot proceed.”
Her warning underscored broader concerns echoed by WHO that the world remained insufficiently prepared for the next pandemic.
“If a new pathogen emerged today, the world remains largely unprepared for it,” Ms Clark cautioned, describing the lack of action as “a disservice to humanity.”
WHO officials said the PABS mechanism was vital to ensure that countries, particularly low- and middle-income nations were not left behind in accessing life-saving countermeasures developed from shared pathogens.
During COVID-19, many developing countries faced delayed access to vaccines and treatments despite contributing data and samples.
The extended negotiations came at a time when global health systems were still recovering from the pandemic’s aftermath, with gaps in surveillance, financing, and emergency response capacity persisting.
Ms Clark urged governments not to wait for the agreement to be finalized before taking action, pointing to existing frameworks such as the amended International Health Regulations.
She stressed that “all countries must be able to detect and rapidly report outbreaks which may pose an international threat,” emphasizing surveillance as the foundation of preparedness.
She also called for updated national pandemic plans and stronger regional cooperation, noting that “one country’s health security is only as strong as that of their neighbour.”
Financing remained another major hurdle.
Despite widespread recognition that pandemic preparedness was a global public good, funding levels were still inadequate, particularly for low- and middle-income countries grappling with debt and declining development assistance.
“New international finance is essential,” Ms Clark said. arguing that investments made then could save “millions of lives and trillions of dollars” in the event of another global outbreak.
WHO member States were expected to continue negotiations in the coming months, with pressure mounting to finalize the PABS annex ahead of a high-level United Nations meeting on pandemic preparedness scheduled for September in New York.
Health experts warned that the stakes remained high. Without a binding, equitable framework for sharing pathogens and benefits, the world risked repeating the inequities and delays that defined the COVID-19 response.
