At The UN Meet, India Pushes For Fair Benefit Sharing In Pandemic Deal

India has called for a fair system for sharing pathogens and the benefits derived from them, saying countries that contribute biological samples and data should not be left behind when vaccines, diagnostics and treatments are developed from those resources.

Speaking at the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response in New York recently, Union health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the credibility of the WHO Pandemic Agreement would depend on an equitable Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system.

The issue is particularly important for developing countries, which may be among the first to detect and share samples from emerging infections but can face delays or barriers in accessing products developed using those resources. Negotiations on the PABS mechanism are still continuing. The WHO has said the system is intended to allow rapid sharing of pathogens while ensuring fair and equitable sharing of resulting vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.

Srivastava said, "Countries contributing pathogens and biological resources should receive timely access to vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, technologies and other benefits, while their national sovereignty is respected.”

The call comes against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, when access to vaccines and other essential health products became a major global concern. India, which emerged as a major vaccine manufacturer during the pandemic, supplied 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries and two UN entities and provided medical assistance to more than 150 countries, according to the health ministry.

For India, the debate is therefore not only about preparedness for the next outbreak but also about how the global system will share the scientific and commercial benefits that follow from cooperation during an outbreak, pointed the secretary.

The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted by member states in May 2025 to strengthen international cooperation on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. However, the PABS annex — a central part of the agreement — is still being negotiated. The WHO's intergovernmental working group held its eighth meeting in September 2026, with the outcome of the negotiations to be considered by the World Health Assembly in 2027, or earlier at a special session in 2026 if required.

India has also cautioned against allowing political declarations to prejudge the ongoing negotiations. Srivastava said the political declaration should not determine the outcome of the PABS annex and that implementation should take into account national circumstances and capacities.

The UN meeting comes at a time when countries are being urged to maintain momentum on pandemic preparedness despite the passage of several years since Covid-19. The second UN High-Level Meeting on pandemic prevention and preparedness was held on September 25, with equity and solidarity among its central themes. The UN has noted that significant gaps remain in surveillance, laboratory capacity, health systems, financing and equitable access to health products.

India also used the meeting to underline the importance of strengthening preparedness at home. Srivastava said pandemic planning needs to be embedded in national health systems, development programmes and domestic financing, with international assistance complementing national efforts.

The country is working to expand laboratory networks, emergency coordination mechanisms, the health workforce, medical stockpiles and clinical-care capacity. The emphasis, she said, should be on building systems that can respond not only to pandemics but to a wider range of health emergencies.

Another area India highlighted was digital public infrastructure. Srivastava said digital systems had played an important role during Covid-19 in surveillance, vaccination, risk communication, supply chains and maintaining health services. India called for such digital public infrastructure to be recognised as a global public good.

The One Health approach — linking human, animal and environmental health — was also highlighted. India said its implementation should take place in accordance with domestic and international law and national circumstances.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus separately stressed that the world needed to move faster on pandemic preparedness and complete the PABS negotiations. WHO has said the agreement, strengthened International Health Regulations, the Pandemic Fund and other mechanisms have advanced the global preparedness architecture since Covid-19, but significant gaps remain.

UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed also warned against complacency and stressed the importance of community-level systems for early detection, surveillance and communication so that outbreaks can be identified and contained early.