08/12/2025 — As World Health Organization (WHO) member states decided to hold a new round of talks in January on establishing a global pathogen access and benefit sharing (PABS) system, the US signed its first bilateral health agreements, which include pathogen-sharing arrangements, with Kenya and Rwanda late last week.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced during the signing ceremony with Kenya that there were “30 to 40” similar agreements in the pipeline while one of his officials said there were “50”.
The MOUs aim to revive US health aid, including the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) funding – the pausing of which by the Trump administration earlier this year has severely strained several African countries’ health systems.
In exchange, African countries have to commit to signing a 25-year “specimen sharing agreement”, although the MOUs only cover a five-year grant period.
Read the full news story here.
SEE ALSO:
- Emilysbass.substack.com: Lessons from America’s Health Agreements with Kenya and Rwanda
- U.S. Department of State: Leveraging momentum of the America First Global Health Strategy with the signing of the United States–Liberia bilateral health cooperation memorandum of understanding
Source : Health Policy Watch
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