Final talks begin on missing piece for pandemic treaty

“VERY HARD”

In May 2025, WHO member states adopted a landmark pandemic agreement on tackling future health crises, after more than three years of negotiations sparked by the shock of COVID-19.

The accord aims to prevent future pandemics from the disjointed responses and international disarray that surrounded the coronavirus crisis, by improving global coordination, surveillance and access to vaccines.

But PABS, the heartbeat of the treaty, was left on the side in order to get the bulk of the deal over the line.

Countries have been given one final week, through Friday, to negotiate PABS, with an eye on getting it approved during the World Health Assembly of WHO member states, which opens on May 18.

Jean Karydakis, a diplomat at Brazil’s mission in Geneva, said he thought a deal was possible even if the differences were “by no means negligible”.

“Progress has been slow” and finding compromise “will be very hard”, though the European Union was now “making an effort to demonstrate some flexibility”, he said.

PABS is considered crucial by developing states, particularly in Africa, where many countries felt cut adrift in the scramble for COVID-19 vaccines.

However, there are nuances between their positions. Some emerging economies like South Africa want technology transfers, while the poorest countries are focusing primarily on access to healthcare products.

Adeel Mumtaz Khokhar, from Pakistan’s mission, said the negotiations had been “quite challenging” but “we remain hopeful”.

“Licensing, technology transfer and broader capacity building of your health system – that remains a big point of contention,” he said.