The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on world leaders to urgently conclude negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex of the Pandemic Agreement, describing it as the final component needed to operationalise the accord.
In an open letter issued during the G7 Summit, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva urged G7, G20, BRICS and all member states to accelerate agreement on the outstanding framework.
The PABS annex is intended to establish a system for the rapid sharing of pathogen samples and genetic sequence data with pandemic potential, alongside mechanisms to ensure fair and equitable access to resulting vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
WHO said the annex is essential to completing the Pandemic Agreement adopted in 2025, which aims to strengthen global preparedness and response to future health emergencies.
Member states have previously agreed that further negotiations are required on governance arrangements, access conditions and benefit-sharing mechanisms, following limited progress in earlier sessions.
The organisation warned that delays in finalising the annex could slow implementation of the broader agreement, with negotiations expected to continue in the coming months.
WHO has urged governments to treat the next round of talks as a decisive opportunity to finalize the framework.
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