Landmark agreement: The accord on pathogen access and benefit sharing is path-breaking [Pg6]

• The World Health Organization (WHO) member states have reached a historic agreement on the Pandemic Agreement for better preparedness and response to future pandemics.

  • The draft, finalized on April 16, includes a commitment to pathogen access and benefit sharing—a long-standing demand by developing countries.

  • The agreement ensures that countries sharing pathogen samples or genome sequences will receive equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments developed from them.

  Detailed Insights:

Context and Significance

• Negotiated over 3.5 years and 13 rounds, this deal is seen as a “generational accord to make the world safer”.

  • The agreement comes after the inequities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, where developed nations hoarded vaccines while developing countries, especially in Africa, were left waiting.

  Core Achievements

• Universal Protection for Health Workers: Countries agreed on better protection for healthcare workers globally.

  • Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System (PABS):

    • Developing countries sharing pathogen/genomic data are guaranteed access to resulting diagnostics, vaccines, or treatments.

      • Pharma companies have agreed to donate 10% of production to WHO and offer 10% more at affordable prices.

    Vaccine Equity and Tech Transfer

• The treaty settles long-pending disputes about technology sharing.

  • Technology transfer will happen on mutually agreed terms, not on a voluntary or charity basis by pharmaceutical firms.

  • Emphasizes the need to incentivize exchange of technology and know-how to enable all countries to make their own vaccines and drugs.

  Historical Comparison

• Echoes Indonesia’s stand in the mid-2000s on H5N1, where it refused to share samples without fair vaccine access.

  • Reflects a shift toward greater equity and accountability in global health governance.

  Significance:

• Strengthens global health security architecture post-COVID.

  • A victory for developing countries demanding fairness in vaccine access and biotech ownership.

  • Reinforces WHO’s role as a coordinator of international health equity.

Mains Mock Question:

Examine the significance of the WHO Pandemic Agreement with special reference to the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System. How does this accord seek to address past inequities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic?