Health Minister (): I would like to update
the House regarding the ongoing negotiations at the World Health
Organization's (WHO) Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) to
secure an Annex to the Pandemic Agreement on a new Pathogen
Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system.
This Government's last update to the House was on 2 February.
Since then, the IGWG held three rounds of negotiations, including
a resumed session, ahead of the deadline of the 79th World Health
Assembly (WHA) to report on the outcome of negotiations.
Some good progress was made at these IGWG meetings, including on
issues such as key definitions and use of terms, and the
governance of the PABS system. However divergence still remained
on several key issues, including on how pathogen samples and
genetic sequence information will be shared through laboratory
networks and databases to ensure timely access; benefit-sharing
provisions for manufacturers who choose to sign up to the system;
and the links between PABS and other international access and
benefit sharing frameworks.
Given the number of complex and highly technical issues to
resolve, the IGWG decided that additional negotiating time is
needed. Member States therefore submitted a recommendation for an
extension to negotiations to the 79th WHA, seeking
approval for an additional one year of negotiating time. On 22
May, the WHA approved this extension. The deadline for the IGWG
to submit the final outcome of the negotiations has now been
extended to the 80th WHA, to be held in May 2027, or, as may be
necessary, earlier by a special session of the WHA in 2026. The
next round of negotiations will be held in mid-July.
The UK remains fully committed to securing a PABS Annex that
serves both the UK and global public health, and we support this
extension to provide more time for Member States to reach
consensus. It is crucial that we continue our essential work to
conclude the PABS Annex, so that the Pandemic Agreement can be
opened for signature and ratification by Member States, and the
wider benefits for pandemic prevention and response can be
realised.
This Government will only agree to a PABS Annex that is in the
national as well as global interest, and we will continue to
engage constructively in the process to deliver an effective,
implementable, and equitable PABS system.
