AHF Leads Call for Fair Vaccine Access in Future Global Health Crises

As the World Health Organization moves closer to finalizing its long-anticipated Pandemic Agreement, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is intensifying pressure on global health leaders to ensure fairness remains central to the deal.

In collaboration with several African civil society groups, AHF has issued a firm warning that it will not support the agreement unless it includes enforceable guarantees ensuring developing countries have equitable access to life-saving medical resources during global health crises.

At the center of the debate is the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, a proposed mechanism designed to ensure that countries sharing data on emerging pathogens receive a fair share of resulting vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.

The push for reform is rooted in lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which wealthier nations were widely criticized for stockpiling medical supplies, leaving many developing regions particularly in Africa struggling to access critical interventions.

AHF argues that without legally binding provisions, the agreement risks repeating the same inequities witnessed during past global health emergencies. The organization insists that voluntary commitments alone are insufficient to guarantee fair distribution during future crises classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

To address these concerns, AHF and its partners are advocating for three key measures to be embedded in the treaty. These include enforceable benefit-sharing arrangements that would require pharmaceutical companies and wealthier nations to allocate a portion of their production to the WHO for distribution to low-income countries. They are also calling for sustained “interpandemic” cooperation, ensuring that equity systems remain operational at all times, not only during active outbreaks. Additionally, the group is pushing for strong accountability mechanisms, with clear consequences for failing to meet agreed equity obligations.

As the World Health Assembly approaches, African civil society organizations are sending a unified message: any global pandemic treaty that fails to protect the most vulnerable populations will lack legitimacy and support.