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PABS

WHO Pandemic Agreement: What PABS Means — and Why It Won't Be Ready at WHA79

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 Treaty Nobody Reads: What the WHO Pandemic Agreement Really Means

124 States Said Yes. The US Said No. And Germany Is Paying the Bill. # In May 2025, 124 WHO member states adopted an international pandemic agreement in Geneva — the most far-reaching health accord since the International Health Regulations of 2005. Eleven states abstained, including Italy, Poland, Israel, Russia, and Iran. No state voted against it [1][2].