Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to conclude negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement by May 2027.
The commitment followed two weeks of discussions by the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), during which countries made progress on measures to ensure fair access to health products during future pandemics.
The WHO disclosed this in a statement on Friday, noting that the proposed annex would establish a framework for the swift and transparent exchange of pathogens with pandemic potential and their genetic sequence data.
It is also expected to provide a mechanism for ensuring equitable access to vaccines, diagnostic tools and treatments developed from the shared materials.
Brazilian Ambassador and Co-chair of the IGWG Bureau, Tovar da Silva Nunes, said the negotiations had recorded significant progress, particularly on benefit-sharing arrangements and access to pandemic-related health products.
Nunes said participating countries were working towards a practical and fair system that would deliver public health benefits whenever future pandemic threats arise.
He added that discussions had also helped clarify the responsibilities of participating partners and the roles of laboratories and technical institutions in sharing biological materials and genetic sequence information.
Similarly, France’s Ambassador and co-chair of the bureau, Anne-Claire Amprou, described the negotiations as productive, saying both formal and informal engagements had helped member states identify areas of agreement.
She said countries remained determined to resolve outstanding issues and conclude the annex ahead of its presentation to the World Health Assembly in May 2027.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, commended member states for the progress recorded and called on them to demonstrate greater commitment towards completing the negotiations.
Tedros expressed optimism that the outcome of the ninth IGWG meeting would encourage countries to maintain the momentum in subsequent sessions.
He said WHO experts had provided scientific, legal and operational assistance throughout the negotiations to help delegations address difficult issues and advance work on the proposed framework.
According to him, member states agreed to continue discussions through informal meetings to resolve outstanding differences, while formal negotiations would resume from January 11 to 15, 2027.
Additional formal sessions are scheduled for February 15 to 19 and March 15 to 25, 2027, before the World Health Assembly in May.
The WHO chief recalled that the World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 to strengthen international collaboration in preventing, preparing for and responding to future pandemics.
He said the IGWG was subsequently established by member states to oversee steps towards implementing the agreement, including negotiating and developing the PABS Annex.
(NAN)
