The world is unprepared for a new pandemic

Negotiators have missed a key deadline for finalizing a global agreement on pandemics, prompting warnings that the world is still not ready for the next major epidemic, the British Guardian reported.

Countries are trying to agree on how they should share information about pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses, that could cause pandemics - and what access they would be guaranteed in return to vaccines, tests and therapies developed based on that information.

This system, which provides for access to pathogen data and the equitable sharing of benefits arising from it (Pabs), must be established before the World Health Organization's agreement on pandemics, which governs how the world should respond to major epidemics in the future, can enter into force.

It is “deeply regrettable” that countries failed to reach an agreement ahead of this year’s World Health Assembly in Geneva, said in a statement Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former president of Liberia, and Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, who co-chaired the WHO Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

The panel recommended the pandemic agreement five years ago, after reviewing the international response to Covid-19 and finding that millions of lives could have been saved with a faster and more coordinated response.

"If a new pathogen were to emerge today, the world would still be largely unprepared for it. Failure to act to prevent the next pandemic threat and to prepare the world for it is irresponsible towards humanity," the statement said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to "continue to approach outstanding issues with a sense of urgency, because the next pandemic is not a question of if, but when."

World leaders first announced plans for a pandemic agreement in March 2021, according to the Guardian. However, high levels of mistrust between richer and poorer countries have slowed progress. One problem has been the amount of misinformation circulating on social media, including false claims that the agreement would mean surrendering national sovereignty to the WHO.

The agreement on pandemics was finally adopted in May 2025 and hailed as a "victory for public health", especially in the context of weakening global cooperation and the US withdrawal from the WHO.

However, the agreement was only adopted after the contentious issue of the Pabs system - access to pathogens and benefit-sharing - was moved to an annex to the main agreement, which needs to be further negotiated. The agreement enters into force 30 days after it is ratified by 60 countries, but will not be open for signature until the annex is completed.

The main dispute, in the broadest sense, is between developed and developing countries. Negotiating blocs, such as the Equality Group and the African Group, want a standard agreement that would oblige pharmaceutical companies to share all medical products developed thanks to countries handing over dangerous pathogens.

Several European countries argue that this could hamper research and development and have reportedly proposed a hybrid model, with a combination of mandatory and voluntary requirements.

The plan was to present the agreed Pabs system for approval in Geneva this month. However, a statement from negotiators said they needed more time, and proposed a new deadline of the World Health Assembly in 2027.