WHO Urges Nations to Finalise Pandemic Agreement by May

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to finalise the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system by the next World Health Assembly in mid-May. The system, left unresolved during the landmark pandemic agreement negotiations, would govern sharing pathogens and benefits like vaccines during future health crises. Tedros warned that failing to complete PABS would leave the agreement ineffective, stating "we are left with the status quo: no PABS system, and a Pandemic Agreement that exists only on paper." Countries have until Saturday to finalise the details, with Tedros calling it "probably the only chance" to secure an outcome. The PABS mechanism addresses sharing access to pathogens with pandemic potential and distributing resulting benefits, aiming to prevent the disjointed responses seen during COVID-19.

SOURCE: https://www.channelstv.com/2026/03/23/who-urges-countries-to-complete-covid-19-pandemic-agreement/