EU must guarantee access to medical tools for communities sharing pathogens and data
Geneva, 19 March 26: Following the adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, an Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) was established for member states to further negotiate an annex to the Agreement on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS). The ratification and actual implementation of the main Agreement by countries are dependent on the finalisation of this Annex. Despite five rounds of IGWG, technical and political challenges persist largely centered on the scope of benefit-sharing obligations and the conditions for accessing PABS materials and data- reflecting tensions between commercial and inward-looking national interests on one hand, and the need to ensure equity on the other. Specifically, the European Union’s (EU) current rigid position risks jeopardizing the overall negotiation process.
Drawing on MSF’s frontline experience across multiple outbreaks, including Ebola and COVID-19, MSF has been advocating for the WHO Pandemic Agreement to establish a multilateral system that ensures fair and equitable benefit sharing in exchange for access to pathogens and genetic resources used in research and development (R&D), including clinical trials. Read MSF’s recommendations and key considerations for a strong and effective WHO PABS System.
Piotr Kolczynski, Regional Advisor for Europe, MSF Access
EU must not allow commercial and inward-looking national interests to stand in the way of progress towards global equitable access to medical tools.
“As a medical humanitarian organisation, MSF has repeatedly witnessed the failure of global solidarity in ensuring timely access to medical tools during health emergencies. As the negotiations on the Agreement on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) are at the final stages , we call on the European Union to engage constructively at the upcoming Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG 6) discussions and help establish a multilateral system that ensures equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for people who need them urgently. The EU must not allow commercial and inward-looking national interests to stand in the way of progress towards global equitable access to medical tools. People and communities whose samples and data make access to medical tools possible cannot be left at the back of the queue to access them.”
