…warns world risks COVID-style inequity without strong PABS Annex

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

As the world edges closer to a decisive moment in global health diplomacy, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Nigeria has issued a stark warning to WHO Member States: deliver a binding and equitable pandemic agreement now, or risk repeating the deadly inequalities exposed during COVID-19.

In a statement released in Abuja ahead of the resumed sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (Part B) in Geneva from April 27 to May 1, AHF Nigeria described the upcoming negotiations as the “last scheduled opportunity” to finalize the critical Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex before the World Health Assembly in May.

The group stressed that without the PABS Annex, the WHO Pandemic Agreement,adopted in May 2025,remains incomplete and incapable of advancing.

At the heart of the debate is how pathogen samples and genetic data are shared globally, and whether resulting benefits such as vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments are distributed fairly, especially to developing nations.

AHF Nigeria warned that failure to secure a strong, enforceable framework would entrench global health inequality, leaving poorer countries once again at the back of the queue during future pandemics and public health emergencies.

“The world cannot afford another COVID-19 scenario where lifesaving tools were hoarded by wealthy nations while vulnerable populations were left exposed,” the organization cautioned.

Describing the negotiations as a defining test of global solidarity, AHF Nigeria insisted that “no equity means no agreement,” urging countries to reject weak or fragmented frameworks that separate access to pathogens from benefit-sharing obligations.

Among its key demands are: A binding PABS Annex with enforceable benefit-sharing across pandemics, “Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), and interpandemic periods

“Mandatory commitments from manufacturers, including set-aside quotas for vaccines and treatments, technology transfer, and financial contributions
Standardized global contracts to ensure transparency, accountability, and enforceability.

“Compulsory user registration and traceability, warning that anonymous access,reportedly backed by some blocs,poses serious accountability and biosecurity risks.

“Rejection of “dual-track” systems that create loopholes and weaken compliance
A pro-public health intellectual property regime that prevents monopolies and ensures wider access, especially in developing countries. “

AHF Nigeria’s call is backed by a coalition of influential civil society and health sector groups, including Lawyers Alert, NAWOJ, JOHESU, NEPWHAN, ASHWAN, and others, all demanding a system rooted in “cooperation, not extraction.”

The coalition argued that countries and corporations benefiting from shared pathogen data must be legally bound to give back through equitable access to health tools, non-exclusive licensing, and meaningful technology transfer.

They also raised alarm over proposals that could allow anonymous participation in the system, warning that lack of transparency would undermine accountability and expose the framework to abuse.

AHF Nigeria underscored that the Geneva meeting represents perhaps the last real chance to build a fair and effective multilateral health security system,one that prevents exploitation of developing countries and ensures that scientific collaboration translates into shared benefits.

“A strong PABS Annex can unite countries and prevent the unacceptable inequities that disproportionately affected the Global South during the last pandemic,” the statement noted.