WHO Member States Advance Negotiations on Pathogen Sharing and Pandemic Agreement
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) successfully concluded the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) in Geneva on September 18, 2026, marking significant progress on the WHO Pandemic Agreement. The five-day session focused on refining the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, a vital component designed to ensure a faster, fairer, and more effective global response to future pandemic threats.
The PABS system establishes a standardized mechanism for countries to rapidly share samples and genetic sequence data of biological pathogens with pandemic potential. In return, the system mandates that diagnostic tools, therapeutics, and life-saving vaccines developed from these pathogens are distributed equitably to all nations, particularly developing and low-income countries that have historically faced severe supply shortages during global health crises.
During the meeting, delegates elected Dr. Ahmed Al Mandhari, Oman's Undersecretary for Health Regulation, as Vice-Chair of the working group alongside counterparts from Eswatini and Thailand. WHO leadership praised the collaborative momentum, emphasizing that establishing clear rules for biological material access and health product distribution is indispensable for global health security.
These multilateral negotiations serve as a key precursor to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. World leaders and health ministers will review the working group's progress as part of broader efforts to fortify global pandemic preparedness, promote health equity, and construct resilient international health architectures capable of mitigating future public health emergencies.
