By Bunmi Yekini
World Health Organization (WHO) member states this week advanced negotiations on a new global system to govern the sharing of dangerous pathogens and the benefits derived from them, a key pillar of the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted last year.
Delegates met from Jan. 20 to 22 in a resumed session of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), where they continued line-by-line talks on unresolved parts of a draft annex establishing the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system.
The mechanism is intended to allow the safe, transparent and accountable sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential and their genetic sequence data, while ensuring fair access to benefits such as vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
“I am encouraged by the progress we have made in several areas, with signs of emerging consensus for some parts of the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system,” said IGWG Bureau co-chair Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes of Brazil. He added that the next round of talks would focus on more complex outstanding issues.
The resumed session followed a request by member states to extend the group’s fourth meeting, which was held in December 2025, reflecting both the urgency and the sensitivity of the negotiations.
IGWG Bureau co-chair Matthew Harpur of the United Kingdom said countries had engaged in “constructive discussions” and were showing a willingness to bridge differences as the May deadline approaches.
“A strong Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system will be a cornerstone of a safer and more equitable world,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, thanking countries for their commitment to multilateral solutions.
Further negotiating sessions are planned in the coming months. The final outcome of the working group’s efforts will be submitted to the 79th World Health Assembly in May 2026, where member states are expected to decide on the next steps.