PABS deferred: the rise of bilateralism and future of pandemic governance

The Lancet Global Health 2026 Open access

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Authors: Nelson Aghogho Evaborhene, Afifah Rahman-Shepherd, Luchuo Engelbert Bain, Shashika Bandara, Arush Lal
DOI: 10.1016/j.langlo.2026.104021
Cited by: 1
References: 5

Abstract

At the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 23–28, WHO member states failed to conclude negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex of the Pandemic Agreement adopted in May, 2025.1 Without agreement on the annex, the treaty cannot proceed to signature or ratification. Negotiations will therefore continue towards the 80th World Health Assembly, although only one additional negotiating session has so far been scheduled for July, 2026.

Fields of Study & Subjects

COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing Global Security and Public Health Legal Health Environmental and COVID-19 Challenges

Publication details

Journal / source
The Lancet Global Health
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
14
Issue
8
Pages
104021–104021
Publication date
17 July 2026
Language
EN