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World Health Organization (WHO) member countries have concluded a week of negotiations on the draft Annex to the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS), a key component of the pandemic agreement. At the 5th meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), held from February 9 to 14, 2026, delegations from each country continued productive discussions, and the final results are scheduled to be announced at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.

Why is it important?

The PABS system is expected to become the basis for international cooperation to quickly and effectively respond to future pandemics. Once this system is established, each country will be able to quickly detect pathogens with pandemic potential and share genetic sequence information and materials. This will allow scientists to accelerate the development of essential tools such as diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines.

In particular, the PABS system is designed to promote equitable access based on public health needs. The key goal is to ensure rapid sharing of pathogen material and genetic sequence data, as well as fair and equitable distribution of the benefits arising from this at an equal level.

Brazil's Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes, co-chair of the IGWG, said, "Countries once again demonstrated their firm commitment to completing the PABS annex this week. We now have a clear vision to simplify the text while ensuring that controversial elements undergo the necessary consultation."

Matthew Harper, the UK's co-chair, said: "While significant differences remain, there is a shared understanding of what is at stake. As time is ticking, the next few weeks will be crucial to bridging the remaining gaps and delivering an annex that is fair, effective and fit for purpose."

Impact on Korea

Korea received international attention for K-Quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic and played a major role in the development and production of vaccines and diagnostic kits. Once the PABS system is officially launched, opportunities for global cooperation among Korean pharmaceutical and bio companies will expand, and at the same time, strategic responses are expected to be required in technology transfer and profit distribution negotiations based on pathogen information sharing.

Background of the pandemic agreement

The WHO Pandemic Agreement is a legally binding international document adopted by member countries last year to correct weaknesses in the global response system revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen international cooperation. The World Health Assembly established the IGWG last year to negotiate the PABS annex, and member countries plan to resume negotiations next month, moving toward a May deadline.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "The adoption of the pandemic agreement last year was a huge testament to global cooperation, and this momentum must be continued. Strong multilateralism is essential as countries must collectively face future pandemics together." “We recognize that steady progress is being made and are confident that agreement on the PABS annex will be reached before the World Health Assembly in May this year,” he added.

Along with the Annex negotiations, Member States also held discussions with relevant stakeholders, including representatives of the private sector, academia, research institutes, and genetic sequence information databases.