WHO Pandemic Agreement: Why Pathogen Sharing Matters
Quick Facts
What is the WHO Pandemic Agreement?
WHO Member States adopted the Pandemic Agreement at the World Health Assembly in May 2025 after negotiations prompted by weaknesses exposed during COVID-19. Its scope includes disease surveillance, health-system preparedness, research and development, supply chains, health-workforce protection and access to pandemic-related medical products.
The agreement does not function as a clinical guideline and does not immediately change how an individual patient receives care. Its purpose is to establish shared expectations before another pandemic emergency occurs, when delays in surveillance, research, manufacturing or distribution can cost lives.
How would pathogen access and benefit sharing work?
Scientists need prompt access to pathogen samples and genetic sequence data to identify threats, track viral or bacterial evolution, develop laboratory tests and begin work on vaccines and treatments. The proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, commonly called PABS, is intended to create a more reliable framework for that exchange.
Benefit sharing is the other half of the model. When shared biological materials or data contribute to medical products, participating manufacturers could be expected to support public-health needs through measures defined by the final annex. Important technical questions include which pathogens are covered, how information is shared safely, what manufacturers must provide and how the system will operate during an emergency.
Why could the PABS annex affect future pandemic care?
Rapid pathogen sharing can shorten the time required to characterize an outbreak and develop countermeasures. However, countries and research institutions may hesitate to share valuable samples or data if they believe the resulting products will remain unavailable or unaffordable to the populations that contributed to their development.
A workable annex must therefore balance speed, scientific openness, biosafety, transparency and equitable access. Completing the text alone will not guarantee preparedness: countries will also need laboratory capacity, trained health workers, resilient manufacturing, regulatory coordination and systems capable of delivering vaccines, tests and treatments to patients.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The agreement states that WHO does not gain authority to direct national laws or impose measures such as vaccination mandates, travel restrictions or lockdowns. Countries retain responsibility for their own public-health decisions.
They help laboratories identify emerging threats, monitor changes in pathogens and develop diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments. Safe, timely sharing can improve both outbreak assessment and medical research.
No framework can eliminate pandemic risk. The agreement is intended to reduce avoidable delays and improve coordination, but its effectiveness will depend on implementation, financing, scientific cooperation and strong national health systems.
References
- World Health Organization. Open letter to leaders of G7, G20, BRICS and all nations on finalizing the WHO Pandemic Agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex. July 2026.
- World Health Organization. World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics. May 20, 2025.
- World Health Organization. WHO Pandemic Agreement. Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly, 2025.