World Health Organization (WHO) member states have reaffirmed their commitment to finalising the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement by May 2027.
The agency disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
It said the commitment followed two weeks of negotiations by the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), which made progress on provisions for equitable access to pandemic-related health products.
“The proposed annex seeks to establish a system for the rapid, transparent sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and their genetic sequence data, alongside equitable access to resulting vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics,” the statement said.
Tovar da Silva Nunes, Brazil’s ambassador and co-chair of the IGWG Bureau, said negotiators had made important progress on benefit-sharing and access provisions.
He said member states remained focused on developing a practical and equitable system that could deliver public health benefits when future pandemic threats emerge.
Nunes said discussions had also advanced understanding of participating partners’ responsibilities and how the proposed system could promote equitable access to pandemic-related health products.
“Member states further progressed negotiations on access to pathogens with pandemic potential, including biological materials and sequence information, as well as the roles of laboratories and technical partners,” he said.
France’s ambassador, Anne-Claire Amprou, also a co-chair of the bureau, described the negotiations as constructive, saying formal and informal discussions had helped countries identify common ground.
Amprou said member states remained committed to refining the annex and completing negotiations in time for consideration by the World Health Assembly in May 2027.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus commended member states for their progress and urged delegations to turn their commitment into decisive action to conclude the negotiations.
He said the progress made during the ninth IGWG meeting was encouraging and expressed hope that countries would maintain momentum in future sessions.
“WHO experts provided scientific, legal and operational support throughout the negotiations, helping member states address complex issues and advance discussions on the proposed framework.
“Member states agreed to continue negotiations through informal sessions aimed at narrowing differences, while formal discussions would resume from Jan. 11 to Jan. 15, 2027.
“Further formal negotiation sessions are scheduled for Feb. 15 to Feb. 19 and March 15 to March 25, 2027, ahead of the World Health Assembly,” he said.
According to Tedros, the assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 to strengthen international cooperation in preventing, preparing for and responding to future pandemics.
Member states subsequently established the IGWG to advance the agreement’s implementation, including the development and negotiation of the PABS Annex.
