The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is calling for Europe to lead the way in establishing a strong framework for pandemic response that embodies the principles of equity and solidarity, ensuring a healthier future for all.
Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers
On World Health Day, observed annually on April 7, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has issued a clarion call for global solidarity in the fight against infectious diseases. At a pivotal moment for health governance, AHF urges key global leaders, particularly in Europe, to champion the advancement of a fair and equitable World Health Organization Pandemic Agreement. At the heart of this push is the need for a binding and enforceable Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) Annex, crucial for ensuring equity and access in times of health crisis.
World Health Day arrives as the world grapples with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the urgent need for a co-ordinated global response to infectious diseases. The Pandemic Agreement, adopted in 2025, awaits finalisation of the PABS Annex before it can open for signature. This Annex is vital as it establishes protocols for how countries share genetic sequence information and pathogen samples, while also detailing how the derived benefits are shared equitably among nations.
“At a time when some of the world’s wealthiest countries are stepping back from global health leadership, European leaders at the country and European Union levels have a clear opportunity and responsibility to step forward,” said Daniel Reijer, AHF Europe Bureau Chief. “Europe has long championed equity and solidarity. Now is the moment to turn those values into action by supporting a strong, binding PABS Annex that ensures lifesaving tools reach everyone, everywhere.”
As the May 2026 deadline approaches during the World Health Assembly, AHF is committing to scrutinising the ongoing negotiations closely. They stress that the Pandemic Agreement cannot progress without the PABS Annex, which must include enforceable provisions ensuring that those who benefit are also obligated to contribute to the global health system. This entails mandatory benefit-sharing and technology transfers through binding contracts for participating manufacturers and all commercial users. Significantly, the AHF is advocating for equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, alongside non-exclusive licences for manufacturers in developing countries during public health emergencies, paired with annual financial contributions.
AHF has expressed its opposition to a proposed hybrid or “dual-track” system that would allow companies to access pathogen data devoid of obligations, potentially undermining fair benefit-sharing and the integrity of the system itself. They warn that without accountability and transparency, the new framework risks repeating the failures experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which deepened global inequities and stymied universal health security.
Time is of the essence, and AHF is rallying European leaders to forge an agreement that prioritises co-operation, accountability, and equitable access for all. AHF stresses that the call for global solidarity extends beyond imminent public health emergencies, encompassing ongoing challenges like HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Ensuring equitable access to prevention, testing, and treatment remains one of the most effective strategies to save lives and curb the rise of new infections worldwide.
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