The Debate | Opinion | South Asia | Southeast Asia

The Politics of Pandemic Preparedness: Why South and Southeast Asia Need a Stronger Voice

The Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing annex, currently under negotiation, has profound implications for dependency and health sovereignty in South and Southeast Asia.

When a pandemic strikes, sharing viral samples and genetic data is essential to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments quickly. But how are the benefits of these scientific advancements distributed? This is the core question being debated at the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Negotiators are currently meeting in Geneva to finalize the terms of the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) instrument, an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement (PA) adopted in May 2025. This round of negotiations runs from November 2 to 13 and marks the ninth meeting to discuss the terms of PABS. 

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When a pandemic strikes, sharing viral samples and genetic data is essential to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments quickly. But how are the benefits of these scientific advancements distributed? This is the core question being debated at the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Negotiators are currently meeting in Geneva to finalize the terms of the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) instrument, an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement (PA) adopted in May 2025. This round of negotiations runs from November 2 to 13 and marks the ninth meeting to discuss the terms of........

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