WHO member states ended their seventh round of negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex without reaching consensus, even as officials said the draft moved closer to completion after two weeks of talks in Geneva.

The annex is a central part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and is intended to create a framework for faster, more effective, and more equitable responses to future pandemics.

According to the WHO, countries agreed that continued discussions are still needed before the framework can be finalized.

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PABS framework and sticking points

The proposed PABS system is designed to allow the rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential while also ensuring that benefits arising from their use are shared fairly.

WHO said those benefits include pandemic vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

During the Geneva meeting, member states further streamlined the draft text, but consultations continued on the more complex issues that have slowed progress.

Those included the contractual arrangements that would underpin the framework, the structure of laboratory networks responsible for sharing and handling pathogen materials and sequence information, and the definition of benefits that should flow from pathogen sharing.

Dispute over genetic sequence data

The talks have also been shaped by disagreement over access to genetic sequences, with developed countries pushing for anonymous access to the data.

The critics of that approach argue it would make benefit-sharing difficult to operationalize and could leave developing countries in a position where they are expected to share pathogen data without a guarantee that vaccines and treatments derived from it will be made available to them.

The seventh meeting did not produce a consensus despite the extended negotiations.

WHO chief urges urgency

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised member states for their “continued dedication to multilateralism, dialogue, and to finding common ground,” while stressing that the remaining differences could still be bridged.

He said, “The task is vital and urgent. The next pandemic will not wait. Neither should we.”

The WHO said finalizing the annex is a critical step toward enabling countries to consider signature and ratification of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which the World Health Assembly adopted in May 2025 to strengthen international cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.

Next round of negotiations

The negotiations are not over yet. WHO said the Intergovernmental Working Group will hold its eighth meeting from 14 to 18 September 2026, keeping the PABS annex on the table as member states try to narrow the remaining gaps and reach an agreement that can be taken forward under the wider pandemic accord.

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FAQs

Q1: Why did WHO member states fail to reach consensus on the PABS annex?

WHO member states remained divided over rules governing pathogen access, genetic sequence data sharing, and equitable benefit-sharing.

Q2: What is the purpose of the WHO Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex?

The PABS annex aims to ensure rapid pathogen sharing while guaranteeing fair access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments developed from that data.