Countries returned to the table on November 2 for the ninth meeting of the working group negotiating the last piece of the WHO Pandemic Agreement. The talks run through November 13. The subject is the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex, known as PABS. It matters to executives and delegates because it would set the terms on which laboratories, databases and drugmakers share pathogens and the vaccines, diagnostics and treatments developed from them.
The World Health Assembly adopted the agreement in May 2025. It cannot move forward without the annex. WHO says finishing PABS is necessary before countries can proceed with signature and ratification. The outcome of the talks is due to go to the Eightieth World Health Assembly in May 2027.
Why the annex is the sticking point
PABS is meant to link two things that were separate during COVID-19: rapid sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential, and fair sharing of the products that result. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told delegates that the two were not connected in the last pandemic, and that vaccines were developed in record time while many countries waited.
Negotiators have already needed more time. On May 1, WHO member states agreed that further talks were required, and the World Health Assembly was asked to continue the work.
Tedros opened this round with three requests. He asked delegations to negotiate with the expectation of concluding, to separate what is essential from what is desirable, and to keep public health as the test. He also told them they did not need to design a perfect system for all time. He pointed to this year’s hantavirus outbreak and the ongoing Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as reminders of the risk.
Where industry and governments stand
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations addressed the meeting on its first day. It said the system depends on the participation of laboratories, databases and companies, and that conditions should create trust, clarity and incentives. The federation said it was concerned that some proposed requirements for laboratories and databases could become overly burdensome and discourage participation.
Political support is real but not unanimous. On October 12, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response by 153 votes to three, with two abstentions. Argentina, Israel and the United States voted against. New Zealand and Paraguay abstained. The text was meant to pass by consensus at a high-level meeting on September 25, but objections blocked that. Tedros said countries should now fulfill their commitments and finalize the annex.
What to watch
The opening and closing sessions are webcast, so the outcome on November 13 will be public. The main question is whether delegations narrow the open issues enough to give the Assembly a text in May. Companies that make or supply pandemic products will be watching the terms for access to samples and sequence information, and the obligations attached to them.
Sources
- WHO: Director-General’s opening remarks at the ninth IGWG meeting, November 2, 2026
- WHO: Ninth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
- WHO: Member states agree to extend negotiations on the PABS annex, May 1, 2026
- WHO welcomes adoption of the UN political declaration, October 12, 2026
- UN News: General Assembly adopts pandemic declaration, but not by consensus
- IFPMA: Statement on PABS at IGWG 9, November 2, 2026
