WHO WATCH: Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement | Nov. 25

Credit: WHO

‘The open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, established by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78.1, 2025), is currently drafting and negotiating the Annex on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) System described in Article 12 of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

‘At its third meeting, IGWG requested the Bureau, with support from the Secretariat, to organize interactive focused informal dialogues during the intersessional period. The purpose of these dialogues is to facilitate informal exchanges focusing on aspects of the PABS System being negotiated under the Annex – particularly PABS contracts, relevant databases, and laboratory networks.

‘These dialogues are open to all IGWG members and relevant stakeholders (Annexes A–E of document A/IGWG/2/4) along with representatives of various sectors, including the private sector, laboratories and sequence information databases, academic entities and research institutions. The sessions will be publicly webcast.

‘The first informal dialogue will take place virtually on 24 November 2025 from 12:30–15:30 CET. Participants will discuss the issue of pathogen access and benefit sharing, including contracts/agreements that would need to be established for this purpose. ‘The second dialogue will take place virtually on 25 November 2025 from 12:30–15:30 CET. Participants will discuss the issue of databases and laboratory networks in relation to pathogen access and benefit-sharing.’

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