On 18 May 2026, the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) opens in Geneva. On the agenda: the PABS annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement — the mechanism that is supposed to determine what countries receive in return for sharing pathogen data that enables vaccine and drug development.
The annex will not be finished. This has been confirmed since late April.
1. What PABS Is#
PABS stands for Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing: a system to govern how dangerous pathogen data is shared with the global health system — and what the countries supplying that data receive in return.
The problem PABS is meant to solve: during COVID-19, pharmaceutical companies in the US and EU developed vaccines using virus sequences shared globally. The countries that supplied the data received vaccines last — if at all. Rich nations pre-purchased stockpiles. Developing countries waited.
PABS is meant to institutionally break this pattern: whoever shares pathogen data has a right to access the resulting products.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PABS | Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing |
| VTDs | Vaccines, Therapeutics, Diagnostics — the products at stake |
| IGWG | Intergovernmental Working Group — the negotiating body |
| WHA79 | 79th World Health Assembly, from 18 May 2026 |
| INB | Intergovernmental Negotiating Body — the IGWG’s predecessor |
2. What Is Being Negotiated — and Where It Is Stuck#
The WHO Pandemic Agreement itself is largely complete. What is missing is the PABS annex — the mechanism that gives the agreement its teeth.
Developing countries (Africa Group, Group for Equity) demand binding contracts: whoever uses pathogen data to develop VTDs must make access commitments upfront.
Industrialised countries — particularly EU members with strong pharmaceutical industries — reject binding obligations. Their proposal: a “hybrid model” combining voluntary and mandatory elements.
What the hybrid model means in practice: it decouples access to pathogen data from benefit-sharing obligations. Pharmaceutical companies could use pathogen data without upfront access commitments. KP Gopakumar (Third World Network) put it plainly: this would “kill the efficiency” of a centralised system.
The current draft text: 10% of VTD production reserved for developing countries — and only during pandemics, not broader health emergencies.
3. The Open Question: Consensus or Vote#
Colombia’s Ambassador Germán Velásquez proposed breaking the unanimity requirement for PABS negotiations: “Progressive consensus” — majority votes on individual points once a qualified majority is reached, rather than requiring unanimous agreement.
This is the structural core question. As long as a decision requires the assent of all 194 WHO members, a small group of pharma-friendly countries suffices to block binding benefit-sharing obligations. This is not coincidental — it is the institutional mechanism that protects the hybrid model.
The proposal was not adopted. Negotiations extended to 6–17 July 2026.
4. Germany: Not Just a Participant#
Parallel to the PABS negotiations, a separate personnel matter is in motion. The WHO is opening nominations for Tedros’s successor as Director-General. Germany, according to Health Policy Watch, may put forward Helge Braun — former Chief of Staff of the Federal Chancellery under Angela Merkel, CDU politician.
Germany was not among the 26 participant countries in the Polaris II simulation. The Robert Koch Institute was present as a partner organisation.
Whoever holds the WHO Director-General position sets priorities, makes outbreak classifications, and — relevantly — oversees implementation of the Pandemic Agreement once it enters into force.
5. What Happens at WHA79 — and What Does Not#
| What happens | What does not happen |
|---|---|
| WHA79 opens 18 May 2026 | PABS annex will not be finalised |
| Pandemic Agreement is presented | Binding benefit-sharing obligations remain open |
| IGWG report is submitted | EU hybrid model stays informal — no treaty text submitted |
| WHO DG succession nominations proceed | Decision on Tedros successor not at WHA79 |
| Polaris II results in WHO context | GHEC operationalised without PABS foundation |
Tedros himself: “Key differences remain on key issues.”
6. The Structure Behind It#
The PABS negotiation pattern is familiar. It is the same pattern as TRIPS (WTO patent law) and COVID-19 vaccine distribution: countries with capital-intensive pharmaceutical industries secure exploitation rights before binding access obligations are established.
What is new: the institutional framework — WHO Pandemic Agreement, GHEC, PABS — would be permanent. Not ad hoc like COVAX, but standing infrastructure.
The question WHA79 does not answer: who sits on the PABS Coordinating Body? With what mandate? Under whose control?
The annex that would determine this will not arrive before July 2026 at the earliest.
Sources: Health Policy Watch, Kerry Cullinan (04.05.2026 + 30.04.2026); WHO WHA79 Agenda; Health Policy Watch (30.04.2026, WHO DG nominations).
