Negotiations underway on pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex to Pandemic Agreement

The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted at the World Health Assembly on 20 May 2025. Now negotiations are underway to agree an annex to the Pandemic Agreement that will establish a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System. The negotiations took place in Geneva on 15–19 September 2025.

The purpose of the annex is to describe how countries can share information on pathogens. The annex also aims to determine how vaccines and other benefits developed on the basis of such information can be shared between countries as fairly as possible. 

The same topic is addressed on a general level in Article 12 of the Pandemic Agreement. The purpose of the annex is to issue more specific provisions on the matter. The negotiations on the annex began in July 2025 with WHO Member States holding their first meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the Pandemic Agreement. The purpose of the second meeting in September was to hold a preliminary discussion on the elements to be included in the annex. The aim is to hold negotiations every month up until spring 2026.

Pandemic Agreement to be discussed nationally after the adoption of the annex

The aim is to adopt the annex at the World Health Assembly in May 2026. The annex will be part of the Pandemic Agreement. The WHO Member States will discuss the Pandemic Agreement at the national level after the annex on pathogens has been adopted at the World Health Assembly.

Finland participates in the annex negotiations as part of the European Union. Finland is represented in the negotiations by the same delegation as in the negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement. Parliament is kept informed of the progress of the negotiations, and it takes part in forming Finland’s positions for the negotiations. 

Inquiries:

Jenna Uusitalo, Legal Adviser, tel. +358 295 163 110,

[email protected]