Global Health Groups Call for Equity in Pandemic Agreement

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and its Global Public Health Institute are calling for stronger commitments to equitable access in the global pandemic agreement, as negotiations conclude after three years of international dialogue.

AHF commends the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), particularly representatives from the Equity and Africa Groups, for finalizing the draft text that will be presented for adoption by the World Health Assembly. The organization also recognized civil society for its role in advocating for fair access to health tools during public health emergencies.

The global pandemic agreement was initiated in response to COVID-19, with negotiations formally beginning in 2021 after the emergence of the Omicron variant. AHF contributed early to the policy conversation, co-authoring a proposal in The Lancet Public Health advocating for a new international convention to improve pandemic preparedness and response.

“Several of the ideas in our Lancet article were incorporated into the discussions,” says Jorge Saavedra, Executive Director, AHF Global Public Health Institute. AHF continued to be involved through advocacy and coalition-building, particularly among non-governmental organizations operating at the national level.

The final draft includes provisions promoting international cooperation in R&D, regionalized production of health tools, and a system for pathogen access and benefit sharing (PABS). However, AHF says the agreement lacks enforceable guarantees to ensure equitable and timely access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.

AHF also voiced concern over the role of the pharmaceutical industry in shaping the agreement. According to the organization, some industry-supported provisions threatened countries’ rights related to technology transfer and jeopardized global consensus by conditioning support on specific language that benefits private interests.

AHF advocates for additional measures to strengthen the agreement before its formal adoption. These include creating sustainable financing mechanisms, improving regional capacity for health emergency response, and ensuring broader participation from academic institutions and civil society.