Hi,
In this edition, I present an analysis specifically on the implications of the American bilateral deals promising aid for health data, on global health negotiations in Geneva. I reviewed publicly available information on the bilateral contracts, and drew on the current the state of the negotiations on Pathogen Access Benefit Sharing (PABS) system.
The flurry of American bilateral deals are a clear example of how power shows up in legal text. (You will find a downloadable table that brings the gist of the deals so far, all in one place. We mapped the announcements and the stated commercial, political objectives beyond health, that the U.S. has emphasized in these bilateral arrangements.)
We hope you find this useful ahead of the resumed PABS negotiations next week in Geneva.
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Priti
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I. GHF ANALYSIS
The Competing Objectives of the Bilateral American Global Health Agreements & the WHO Pathogen Access Benefits Sharing System
Apart from the casting away of international law with the abduction of a country’s President, the new year began with the U.S. withdrawing from international organizations and other institutions that, in the view of the Trump administration, “seek to constrain American sovereignty”.
In the meantime, the America First Global Health Strategy is beginning to set a new normal in health and trade spheres. The American retreat from multilateralism is also accompanied by a determined march at the bilateral level particularly with African countries. Before 2025 bit the dust, the administration had already signed 14 deals with as many African countries [Kenya, Rwanda, Liberia, Uganda, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, Cameroon, Nigeria, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Ethiopia and Cote d’Ivoire.] (See table below on intended beneficiaries and non-health considerations that influenced these deals.)
In this edition we look at recent developments, commentaries and compare how the proposed bilateral deals intersect with the on-going negotiations on the Pathogen Access Benefit Sharing (PABS) system at the World Health Organization. The PABS multilateral negotiations resume next week in Geneva.