World Health Organization member states have completed another round of negotiations on a proposed global system for sharing pathogens with pandemic potential and the benefits arising from their use.
The eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement concluded in Geneva on September 18 after five days of negotiations on the proposed Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system, or PABS.
The proposed system is intended to facilitate rapid sharing of biological materials and sequence information from pathogens with pandemic potential.
In parallel, it seeks to establish arrangements for fair and timely sharing of benefits resulting from their use, including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
The PABS annex is an important unfinished component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2025.
WHO says progress was made during this week's negotiations, but the PABS annex has not been finalised.
The outcome of the negotiations must still proceed through the required WHO process.
The latest negotiating round took place ahead of the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response scheduled for September 25 in New York.
Completion of the PABS annex is an important step toward allowing countries to move ahead with signature and consideration of ratification of the broader Pandemic Agreement.
Do not describe the September 18 meeting as adoption of a final PABS system.