The World Health Organization (WHO) is demanding that governments complete negotiations on a permanent international system for transporting purported pathogens with pandemic potential and their proxies across the world, while simultaneously claiming that another pandemic is likely within the coming decade.
The proposal raises biosafety, international security, and national sovereignty questions about whether an unelected international organization should coordinate a permanent system for the cross-border movement of pathogens with pandemic potential and related biological materials and data.
The push comes as delegates from WHO Member States meet in Geneva from July 6 through July 17 to negotiate the final operational rules for the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, the last major component needed before the WHO Pandemic Agreement can enter into force.