Experts Warn World Is Unprepared for Next Pandemic as 64 Countries Back PABS Deal
Updated
Updated · Health Policy Watch · May 21
Experts Warn World Is Unprepared for Next Pandemic as 64 Countries Back PABS Deal
2 articles · Updated · Health Policy Watch · May 21
Geneva health experts said the world still cannot handle the next pandemic unless countries build local surveillance, diagnostics and risk awareness instead of relying on global rules alone.
More than 1 month passed before the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC was detected, speakers said, because samples had to travel from villages to specialized labs and broad-spectrum diagnostics were unavailable.
The mpox response "failed miserably," advisers said: vaccines reached endemic African areas late or not at all, and only about 23% of DRC cases were ultimately confirmed because testing was too slow.
Trust deficits from COVID-19 are now blocking the pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex, with Qatar's Hanan Al Kuwari saying the Pandemic Agreement cannot be signed or ratified until PABS is resolved.
Sixty-four countries supported a PABS deal in a World Health Assembly debate, while speakers urged immediate implementation of the broader agreement and new financing ahead of a UN pandemic meeting in September.
Trust is the precondition for a global pandemic treaty. How can it be rebuilt after past failures in vaccine equity?
New pandemic funds have mobilized billions. Why do local health systems in high-risk zones remain critically unprepared?
Advanced diagnostics can detect viruses in minutes. Why did a recent Ebola outbreak take over a month to identify?
Pandemic Preparedness in Limbo: The 2026 WHO Agreement, PABS Deadlock, and the Global Equity Challenge
Overview
As of May 2026, the world faces a critical moment in pandemic preparedness, with the full implementation of the WHO's Pandemic Agreement stalled. Although the main agreement was adopted in 2025, unresolved and highly contentious issues around the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex have delayed comprehensive action. Member states set aside the PABS annex to allow progress on the core agreement, but this left a vital element unfinished. The lack of consensus on PABS now threatens global health security, as equitable access to pathogens and fair sharing of benefits remain unresolved, risking a repeat of past inequities in future pandemics.