Poor Nations Fear Sharing Viruses Yet Lack Vaccines; Pandemic Treaty PABS Negotiations Stalled
Negotiations for the "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS) under the WHO's pandemic treaty are stalled due to disagreements between wealthy and developing nations. Developing countries fear sharing pathogens without guaranteed equitable access to vaccines, while wealthy nations advocate for anonymous access. An agreement before the World Health Assembly in May is in jeopardy.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 17:40
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## Press Release Information
Title: Poor Nations Fear Sharing Viruses Yet Lack Vaccines; Pandemic Treaty PABS Negotiations Stalled
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Body (first 8000 characters): Central Message
(Central News Agency, Geneva, April 27, Comprehensive Foreign Report) The World Health Organization passed the "Pandemic Treaty" last year, but negotiations for the "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS) have stalled due to disagreements between wealthy and developing nations. The WHO today launched its final week of extended negotiations, hoping to reach a consensus before the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.
Agence France-Presse reported that the operating mechanism of the "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS) in the World Health Organization's (WHO) "Pandemic Treaty" is for countries to first share information on pathogens that could cause a pandemic, and then the subsequent outcomes, such as developed vaccines, testing tools, and treatments, must also be shared with other countries.
WHO Chief Scientist Sylvie Briand told AFP, "Developing countries are expressing their distrust, concerned that they will share viruses when a crisis occurs, but cannot guarantee equitable access to vaccines." Some countries also question whether the pharmaceutical industry has the ability and motivation to contribute to the "Pandemic Treaty" if there is no "guarantee of return on investment."
Briand pointed out that another challenge is how to incorporate "genetic data" into the sharing mechanism; genetic data is now as crucial as physical virus samples in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tools.
Last May, WHO member states, after more than three years of negotiations, passed the "Pandemic Treaty" to respond to future health crises. The purpose is to avoid a repeat of the international chaos during COVID-19 when facing new epidemics by improving global coordination, surveillance, and vaccine access.
However, last year, in order to pass the main part of the agreement first, countries temporarily set aside the core PABS. Now, countries have only one last week to complete negotiations before May 1, so that it can be approved at the World Health Assembly (WHA) on May 18.
Jean Karydakis, a diplomat from Brazil's permanent mission in Geneva, said that despite the "absolutely undeniable" differences between the two sides, he believes there is still a chance to reach an agreement, and stated that the European Union (EU) is "working hard to show a certain degree of flexibility."
Developing countries (especially African countries) consider PABS crucial because many countries felt neglected in the scramble for COVID-19 vaccines, but there are still subtle differences in national positions. For example, emerging economies like South Africa hope to obtain technology transfer, while the poorest countries focus on obtaining medical products.
The "Pandemic Treaty" stipulates that participating pharmaceutical companies should allocate 20% of their real-time produced vaccines, testing reagents, and medicines to WHO for redistribution, with at least half as donations and the remainder provided at "affordable prices."
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and developing countries hope to impose mandatory regulations on laboratories, establish user registration and tracking systems to ensure poor countries can access vaccines; while wealthy countries such as Germany, Norway, and Switzerland advocate maintaining anonymous access.
Up to 100 NGOs, including the charity Oxfam, stated in a joint letter to WHO that if anonymous access is allowed, it would be impossible to track "who is using pathogen information, for what purpose, and whether derived benefits are shared."
The letter pointed out: "In practice, this means that genetic resources originating from developing countries can be arbitrarily acquired, commercialized, and utilized, completely without any constraints." (Compiler: Zhang Mingxuan) 1150427
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Title: Poor Nations Fear Sharing Viruses Yet Lack Vaccines; Pandemic Treaty PABS Negotiations Stalled
Subtitle:
Company Name:
Industry:
Body (first 8000 characters): Central Message
(Central News Agency, Geneva, April 27, Comprehensive Foreign Report) The World Health Organization passed the "Pandemic Treaty" last year, but negotiations for the "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS) have stalled due to disagreements between wealthy and developing nations. The WHO today launched its final week of extended negotiations, hoping to reach a consensus before the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.
Agence France-Presse reported that the operating mechanism of the "Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System" (PABS) in the World Health Organization's (WHO) "Pandemic Treaty" is for countries to first share information on pathogens that could cause a pandemic, and then the subsequent outcomes, such as developed vaccines, testing tools, and treatments, must also be shared with other countries.
WHO Chief Scientist Sylvie Briand told AFP, "Developing countries are expressing their distrust, concerned that they will share viruses when a crisis occurs, but cannot guarantee equitable access to vaccines." Some countries also question whether the pharmaceutical industry has the ability and motivation to contribute to the "Pandemic Treaty" if there is no "guarantee of return on investment."
Briand pointed out that another challenge is how to incorporate "genetic data" into the sharing mechanism; genetic data is now as crucial as physical virus samples in developing vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tools.
Last May, WHO member states, after more than three years of negotiations, passed the "Pandemic Treaty" to respond to future health crises. The purpose is to avoid a repeat of the international chaos during COVID-19 when facing new epidemics by improving global coordination, surveillance, and vaccine access.
However, last year, in order to pass the main part of the agreement first, countries temporarily set aside the core PABS. Now, countries have only one last week to complete negotiations before May 1, so that it can be approved at the World Health Assembly (WHA) on May 18.
Jean Karydakis, a diplomat from Brazil's permanent mission in Geneva, said that despite the "absolutely undeniable" differences between the two sides, he believes there is still a chance to reach an agreement, and stated that the European Union (EU) is "working hard to show a certain degree of flexibility."
Developing countries (especially African countries) consider PABS crucial because many countries felt neglected in the scramble for COVID-19 vaccines, but there are still subtle differences in national positions. For example, emerging economies like South Africa hope to obtain technology transfer, while the poorest countries focus on obtaining medical products.
The "Pandemic Treaty" stipulates that participating pharmaceutical companies should allocate 20% of their real-time produced vaccines, testing reagents, and medicines to WHO for redistribution, with at least half as donations and the remainder provided at "affordable prices."
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and developing countries hope to impose mandatory regulations on laboratories, establish user registration and tracking systems to ensure poor countries can access vaccines; while wealthy countries such as Germany, Norway, and Switzerland advocate maintaining anonymous access.
Up to 100 NGOs, including the charity Oxfam, stated in a joint letter to WHO that if anonymous access is allowed, it would be impossible to track "who is using pathogen information, for what purpose, and whether derived benefits are shared."
The letter pointed out: "In practice, this means that genetic resources originating from developing countries can be arbitrarily acquired, commercialized, and utilized, completely without any constraints." (Compiler: Zhang Mingxuan) 1150427
Choose to stand with facts, your every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, transmitted, or used without authorization.
Keywords: