Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF Nigeria) has called on World Health Organisation (WHO) member states to finalize a robust and binding Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement. This appeal comes ahead of the resumed sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (Part B) session, scheduled to take place in Geneva from April 27 to May 1.
Critical Moment for Global Health Equity
The WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted in May 2025, cannot move forward without the PABS Annex. This annex governs the sharing of pathogen samples and genetic data, as well as the equitable distribution of resulting benefits such as vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. The upcoming negotiating session represents the last scheduled opportunity to finalize the annex before the World Health Assembly in May. Key equity provisions remain unresolved, making this a pivotal moment for global health governance.
Without a strong and enforceable agreement, the world risks repeating the failures witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that crisis, inequitable access to life-saving tools left many countries behind, exacerbating health disparities and prolonging the global emergency.
Implications for Future Pandemics
The outcome of these negotiations will determine whether future pandemic responses—including those during Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC) and interpandemic periods—are driven by equity and cooperation, or by delay, exclusion, and inequality. Interpandemic periods, characterized by no widespread global outbreak but with public health systems remaining alert, monitoring diseases, strengthening preparedness, and preventing potential future pandemics, also stand to be affected.
AHF Nigeria emphasizes that the time to act is now, urging member states to prioritize global solidarity over national interests to ensure a fairer and more effective global health security framework.
