After two years of negotiations, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) members have missed the deadline to reach an agreement on how to handle the next global pandemic. The draft treaty focused on closing the vaccine gap between developed and developing countries, as well as establishing a “Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System.” This system would involve countries sharing potentially dangerous pathogen samples and genetic sequences with the WHO in exchange for vaccine manufacturing contracts and supplies of 20% of the needed vaccines.
However, members were unable to agree on the fairness and cost of implementing the treaty, leading to the missed deadline. Now, the World Health Assembly (WHA) will need to find a way forward at its upcoming annual meeting in Geneva on Monday.
