WHO Member States Advance Pathogen-Sharing Talks Ahead of UN Pandemic Meeting

WHO member states have concluded the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, advancing negotiations on a proposed pathogen access and benefit-sharing system that would underpin a faster and more equitable response to future pandemics.

The five-day meeting brought together governments and stakeholders in Geneva, where negotiations continued on the PABS annex, focusing on an equitable, feasible and implementable system.

The PABS annex is a central component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2025.

It aims to facilitate the rapid and timely sharing of materials and sequence information from pathogens with pandemic potential and enable the rapid, timely, fair and equitable sharing of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics developed from their use.

The meeting took place as governments prepare for the Second United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response on 25 September 2026 in New York. The political declaration to be tabled for adoption at the meeting calls for the timely completion of the PABS annex.

“We made a promise after COVID-19 that we would not leave the world as vulnerable to the next pandemic as it was to the last,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“The progress made this week brings us closer to keeping that promise. As leaders prepare to meet at the United Nations General Assembly, the message from Geneva is clear: protecting future generations requires commitment, cooperation and urgency. Finalizing the PABS annex is essential for strengthening the world’s collective defences against future pandemic threats”.

Finalizing the annex will pave the way for countries to sign and consider ratification of the Pandemic Agreement, strengthening global coordination and capacity to prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics.

“Member States have once again demonstrated their commitment to completing the PABS annex in order to strengthen equitable access to the tools and means needed to make the world safer from future pandemics,” said Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes of Brazil, co-Chairperson of the IGWG Bureau guiding the negotiations.

“The progress achieved this week provides a strong direction for the weeks ahead and brings us closer to an equitable and effective system”.

The eighth meeting followed a seventh round of negotiations in July 2026, which concluded with member states reaffirming their commitment to continue intensive negotiations toward an ambitious, effective and equitable PABS annex.

The previous round also saw two largely opposing proposals for the PABS system tabled, with Africa backing a “federated” model and the European Union and developed-country allies supporting a “hybrid” model.

In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement to strengthen international cooperation in preventing, preparing for and responding to pandemics.

Through resolution WHA78.1, Member States also established an open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group to undertake key tasks related to the Agreement, including drafting and negotiating the PABS system.