The World Health Organization (WHO) member states have reaffirmed their commitment to finalise the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement by May 2027.

This was disclosed in a statement on Friday.

It said that the commitment followed two weeks of negotiations by the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), which recorded progress on provisions for equitable access to pandemic-related health products.

The agency said the proposed annex sought to establish a system for rapid, transparent sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and their genetic sequence data, alongside equitable access to resulting vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.

Brazilian Ambassador and Co-chair of the IGWG Bureau, Tovar da Silva Nunes, said negotiators made important progress on benefit-sharing and access provisions during the discussions.

Mr Nunes said member states remained focused on developing a practical and equitable system capable of delivering public health benefits when future pandemic threats emerge.

He said discussions 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 stated.

France’s Ambassador and co-chair of the bureau, Anne-Claire Amprou, described the negotiations as constructive, noting that 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.

The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, commended member states for the progress made, urging delegations to translate their commitment into decisive action towards concluding the negotiations.

Mr Ghebreyesus said the progress recorded during the ninth IGWG meeting provided encouragement, expressing hope that countries would sustain the momentum in subsequent negotiation sessions.

He stated, “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 sustain negotiations through informal sessions aimed at narrowing differences, while formal discussions would resume from January 11 to 15, 2027. Further formal negotiation sessions are scheduled for February 15 to 19 and March 15 to 25, 2027, ahead of the World Health Assembly.”

According to him, the assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025 to strengthen international cooperation in preventing, preparing for and responding to future pandemics.

He said that the member states subsequently established the IGWG to advance implementation of the agreement, including the development and negotiation of the PABS Annex.

(NAN)