AHF Urges EU to Stop Blocking Health Equity

BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Europe will hold an advocacy action in Brussels on March 18 at 11:00 a.m. CET on Archimedes Street, followed by an in-person and virtual press conference at Press Club Brussels Europe titled “EU: Stop Blocking Health Equity,” urging European Commission (EC) decision-makers to support a legally binding Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement. Click here to access the Press conference Zoom link, and the Facebook Event page.

Adopted in May 2025, the WHO Pandemic Agreement cannot advance until the PABS Annex is finalized. The Annex governs how pathogen samples and genetic data are shared to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, and how benefits are equitably returned. Negotiations remain difficult, with the European Commission and rich countries like Germany and Switzerland resisting key equity provisions.

With the May 2026 deadline fast approaching, failure to secure a binding agreement risks delaying ratification and repeating the inequities seen during COVID-19 — while also undermining efforts to build regional manufacturing capacity and genuine health sovereignty in low- and middle-income countries.

Key Asks to EU decision makers:

• No Equity, no agreement: The Pandemic Agreement cannot be ratified without the PABS Annex, and this Annex should not be approved without binding equity provisions.

• Cooperation, not extraction: Those who profit from the system must contribute to the system. Participating manufacturers and all commercial users must be subject to mandatory benefit-sharing with real accountability and legal certainty through binding contracts. Benefits must include equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, non-exclusive licenses for manufacturers in developing countries during major health emergencies, and annual financial contributions.

• No registration, no access: If we do not know who is accessing the system, we cannot hold them accountable. The EU must support user registration and traceability to protect the integrity of the system and ensure it cannot be exploited anonymously.

• Ensure meaningful Civil Society inclusion: Transparency, accountability, and community voices are essential to protect equity.

• Stop blocking equity, get the agreement finalized: A weak Annex risks repeating the inequities of the of the COVID-19 pandemic while also putting all countries at risk. Developing countries are calling for binding, enforceable benefit-sharing, and the EU must stop delaying and deliver.

• Protect regional production: Without equitable benefit-sharing, regional manufacturing and health sovereignty initiatives risk becoming hollow promises. Binding PABS provisions are essential to make them real.

WHAT:	AHF Europe Advocacy Action & Press Conference: “EU: Stop Blocking Health Equity”
WHEN:	March 18, 2026   Advocacy Action: 11:00 a.m. CET Press Conference: 1:00 p.m. CET – Zoom link   Facebook Event page
WHERE:	Advocacy Action: Archimedes Street (Rue Archimède 1, 1000 Brussels)   Press Conference: Press Club Brussels Europe (Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Brussels)
WHO:	Speakers: Aggrey Aluso, Executive Director, Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA) Ricardo Fernandes, Deputy General Director, Treatment Activists Group (GAT) Giorgos Keratsas, Communications Officer, Positive Voice Daniel Reijer, Europe Bureau Chief, AHF Kestutis Rudaitis, Data Manager, Demetra Representative from UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, TBD   Moderators: Oluwakemi Gbadamosi, Deputy Executive Director for the AHF Global Public Health Institute and Director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute for Africa Tamara Prinsenberg, Advocacy & Policy Manager for AHF Europe
NEWS DESK NOTE & B-ROLL VISUALS	Civil society advocates gathering with megaphones, holding banners, placards, and world balloons calling for EU leaders to stop blocking health equity Interviews with global health advocates and civil society leaders during advocacy action and press conference Food and beverages provided to media prior to the press conference at Press Club Brussels Europe

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.8 million people in 50 countries worldwide in Africa, the Americas, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on X: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.

The AHF Global Public Health Institute develops and advocates for evidence-based policy change to create a more equitable and effective global health architecture. With a focus on infectious diseases and health systems, our work addresses critical gaps in global health security, equity, governance, law, and finance. The AHF Global Public Health Institute is part of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Visit our website for more information: ahfinstitute.org