There's a global pandemic treaty that's signed — and in 'limbo.'
asserted
that → be → limbo
The World Health Organization adopted the pandemic agreement in May 2025, aimed at making the world better prepared for the next global health crisis — but countries were only able to get the votes because they agreed to kick the can on finalizing the most contentious details.
uncertain
they → adopt → details
That can kicking has continued for the past year and half.
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kicking → continue → year
Countries met last week for the eighth round of negotiations in Geneva, but there was little to show for it.
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Countries → meet → it
"The pandemic agreement is really in a state of continued limbo," says Suerie Moon, co-director of the global health center at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
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Moon → say → Institute
"The mood is somber, I think a lot of countries know we have to make progress, and yet the path forward is not obvious."
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path → think → progress
At the center of the debate is access and equity — whether countries should be obligated to share data on new pathogens with the international community quickly, and what obligations countries have to share the vaccines, drugs or tests developed from those data.
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countries → obligate → data
"There was staggering inequity during COVID-19, where rich countries had access to vaccines almost immediately, and were able to procure it multiple times over for their population," while lower-income countries got scraps, says Sangeeta Shashikant, a legal adviser for the Third World Network, a nonprofit.
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Shashikant → be → Network
"The pandemic agreement is an attempt to bridge that gap."
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agreement → bridge → gap
In principle, countries have agreed to these obligations.
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countries → agree → obligations
And they see them as crucial to having a system in place that allows for rapid response to the next pandemic in a more equitable way.
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that → see → way
But countries haven't been able to agree on what that system, known as the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex (PABS), would actually look like.
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system → agree → annex
At the UN General Assembly on Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to come together.
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Ghebreyesus → urge → countries
"Although differences remain, I am confident that countries will find common ground, just as they did with the agreement itself," he said.
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he → remain → agreement
"So today, I leave you with just one request, just one: get [it] done, as soon as possible.
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it → leave → request
They are delays that cost all countries dearly when the next pandemic arrives.
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pandemic → cost → ?
"
Global north versus global south
In broad strokes, negotiations are generally between the global north and the global south, or wealthy countries and lower-income countries, says Moon.
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Moon → say → north
"The global north is concerned about setting up a system that would allow for the continued, very rapid development of new products," she says.
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she → concern → products
Such a system would involve a database where countries quickly upload new pathogen data, and scientists around the world can easily use it.
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scientists → involve → it
COVID-19 demonstrated why that's valuable.
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that → demonstrate → ?
In early January 2020, Chinese scientists uploaded the SARS-CoV-2 genome to a publicly available database.
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scientists → upload → database
That early access was part of why scientists were able to develop a vaccine so quickly, says David Reddy, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.
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Reddy → develop → Manufacturers
"It worked incredibly well."
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It → work → ?
Lower-income countries see it differently.
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countries → see → it
"I think they have very bitter memories of what happened during COVID-19," says Moon.
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Moon → think → COVID-19
"Countries in the global south want ironclad guarantees that if they share a sample or a data today, tomorrow they will get the drugs or vaccines and diagnostics that are developed with them."
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that → want → them
These countries want to tie strings to accessing the database, as a kind of leverage.
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countries → want → leverage
Who wants what
Those strings could come in a variety of forms.
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strings → want → forms
Some countries are arguing to put all of this pathogen data in a closed database, available only to parties who register and sign contracts with WHO.
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who → argue → WHO
Such contracts might require a share of any resulting products to be provided to WHO at reduced cost for distribution to lower-income countries.
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share → require → countries
WHO's pandemic influenza preparedness network works something like this: Countries submit virus samples in exchange for more equitable vaccine access.
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Countries → work → access
Wealthy countries have already agreed that 20% of vaccines produced in a pandemic emergency would go to WHO.
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% → agree → WHO
Yet they're not in favor of these strings as a condition of being able to use data.
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they → use → data
They argue it will slow science down at precisely the time it needs to be most nimble.
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it → argue → time
A researcher may want to study how a new virus enters human cells, for instance, to figure out how to stop it.
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virus → want → it
That would require analyzing the virus's genetic data, but also data on human proteins, says Amber Sholz, head of science policy at the Leibniz Institute.
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Sholz → require → Institute
Putting boxes around some of that data creates "a huge amount of friction that leaves us not super prepared for understanding pathogen biology," she says.
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she → put → biology
Right now, the two sides still seem far apart in negotiations.
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sides → seem → negotiations
One involves attaching strings not to the data itself but to any products generated from the data.
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One → involve → data
James Love, director of Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit, has been advocating this idea.
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Love → advocate → idea
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
