Archive · 12 Sep 2026
BRICS Declaration Urges Progress on Pathogen-Sharing Pandemic Annex
BRICS countries adopted a declaration about sharing access to disease-causing pathogens.
They asked countries to work constructively on an unfinished part of a World Health Organization pandemic agreement.
This part is called the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex.
It explains how countries might share pathogens and receive benefits from related research.
The countries also said each nation controls its own biological resources.
They said countries may make and enforce their own access-and-benefit-sharing laws.
The larger pandemic agreement was created to help the world prepare for future pandemics.
The agreement still cannot move forward fully until countries finish negotiating the annex.
The New Delhi Declaration calls for constructive engagement on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex.
BRICS members reaffirmed states’ sovereign rights over their biological resources.
The declaration also affirmed countries’ right to create and enforce national access-and-benefit-sharing laws.
The World Health Organization planned the pandemic agreement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agreement cannot be approved or ratified by member states until the annex is finalized.
- Who
- Members of BRICS and World Health Organization member states are involved in the negotiations.
- What
- The New Delhi Declaration calls for constructive engagement on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex to the WHO pandemic agreement.
- When
- The declaration was adopted during the ongoing 18th BRICS summit; the pandemic agreement was adopted during last year’s World Health Assembly.
- Where
- The declaration was issued through the New Delhi Declaration during the 18th BRICS summit.
- Why
- The annex must be completed before the pandemic agreement can be approved or ratified by member states.
- Declaration
- New Delhi Declaration
- Forum
- 18th BRICS summit
- Negotiation topic
- Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex
- Organization
- World Health Organization
- Agreement purpose
- Improving prevention, preparedness, and response to future pandemics
- Outstanding issue
- The annex remains unfinished and is delaying approval or ratification of the pandemic agreement
- National rights
- States reaffirmed sovereign rights over biological resources and national access-and-benefit-sharing laws