To guide the implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the World Health Assembly, in its resolution WHA78.1, asked countries to establish an open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group.
In July 2025, following the adoption of the Pandemic Agreement, WHO Member States convened the first Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) meeting to define the next steps. A central priority is to draft an Annex on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system. This annex will outline how pathogen materials and genetic sequence data are accessed and shared, and how the resulting benefits are distributed in an equitable, transparent, and responsible way. The draft will be presented to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026.
The Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System framework
Under Article 12 of the Agreement, the IGWG must establish the PABS System framework. This includes its terminology, scope, legal basis, terms of use, and operational mechanisms. Member States have emphasized the need for expert input, as the annex must align with existing international agreements on trade, intellectual property, and the Nagoya Protocol, on the fair sharing of genetic resources.
PREZODE, already recognised as a relevant stakeholder in the negotiation of the Pandemic Agreement, has been confirmed in this role in the IGWG process.
Preparing for the second UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response
The PABS annex is expected to be adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2026. Its adoption will prepare the groundwork for the second UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response later that year. This event will bring together UN Member States, international organizations, and civil society to agree around a joint investment and action plan.
UN High-Level Meetings on health-related issues—such as HIV, tuberculosis or, antimicrobial resistance—elevate discussion beyond health ministries, engaging Heads of State and driving multisectoral action. The first High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) in September 2023 produced a political declaration. The second UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting (HLM) on PPPR is scheduled for 2026. To prepare for the new Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response 2026, PREZODE co-signed a briefing document which was shared with Member States at a UN event organized during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) by our partners FourPaws on September 24, 2025.