AIDS Healthcare Foundation urges PABS Annex

On World Health Day 2026, AIDS Healthcare Foundation is urging global leaders, especially those in Europe, to advance an equitable World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement. A key component of this is the finalization of a binding and enforceable Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) Annex, which dictates how countries share genetic sequence information and pathogen samples, and how benefits derived from their use are shared. AIDS Healthcare Foundation emphasizes that without equity, the Pandemic Agreement, adopted in 2025, cannot move forward. The organization opposes a 'dual-track' system that would allow companies to access pathogen data without obligations, warning that a weak Annex risks repeating the failures of COVID-19, which led to delayed access and deepened inequities, particularly in Africa. African nations like Kenya and Nigeria have made strides in manufacturing capacity and regulatory maturity, but these investments could become stranded assets without binding technology transfer and licensing agreements. AIDS Healthcare Foundation calls for cooperation, accountability, and equitable access for all, extending global solidarity to ongoing infectious disease challenges like HIV.