Members Call for Cooperation Over Pathogen Research, Access

Key Highlights & Summary 

• New Delhi Declaration Mandate: The New Delhi Declaration calls for constructive engagement in negotiating the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

 • Reaffirmation of Sovereign Rights: The declaration explicitly reaffirms the sovereign rights of States over their biological resources and their authority to enforce national legislation. 

 • PABS Annex Bottleneck: Following the adoption of the overall agreement, the unresolved PABS Annex remains the primary hurdle holding back full ratification by member states. 

• Roadmap for Resource Allocation: The Annex aims to create a structured mechanism for sharing dangerous pathogens alongside vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. 

• Core Point of Contention: Countries remain divided on whether sharing pathogen samples must be mandatorily linked with equitable access to resulting medical benefits. 

Essential Definitions 

• Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS): A multilateral system designed to enable prompt sharing of biological samples while ensuring equitable distribution of medical countermeasures developed from them. 

• Biological Sovereignty: The absolute legal entitlement of a sovereign state to manage, regulate, and exercise ownership over domestic biological resources and genetic materials. 

• WHO Pandemic Agreement: A legally binding international instrument established under the World Health Organization to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. 

Legal and Constitutional Framework

 • Nagoya Protocol (CBD): Supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity guaranteeing fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. 

• International Health Regulations (IHR 2005): Legally binding framework outlining global obligations for detecting, assessing, and responding to international public health risks. 

• Article 47 of the Indian Constitution (DPSP): Directs the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people, regarding public health improvement as a primary duty.

 Conclusion Finalizing the PABS Annex is crucial for operationalizing the WHO Pandemic Agreement and rectifying historic health inequities. Harmonizing mandatory pathogen sample sharing with guaranteed access to vaccines and therapeutics will ensure that global health emergency response mechanisms remain inclusive, transparent, and resilient against future outbreaks. 

UPSC Relevance 

• GS Paper II: International Relations & Governance (Role of WHO, multilateral health diplomacy, Global South equity, and international treaties).

 • GS Paper III: Science & Technology & Health (Intellectual Property Rights over genetic resources, biotechnology, biosafety, and public health infrastructure).