World Health Organization (WHO) Member States have agreed to extend negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement, with discussions to resume in late-April ahead of its scheduled consideration by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.

The decision to continue negotiations from 27 April–1 May, with informal intersessional discussions taking place in advance, reflects the commitment by WHO Member States to negotiate the PABS annex, a core component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

The World Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement last year to address weaknesses exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen global cooperation and equity in future pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

“The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system lies at the heart of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and I thank WHO Member States for their commitment to work to bring it to life,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “I urge all delegations to believe in the power of trust – trust in one another, in our institutions, and in our shared ability to transcend differences for the common public good, for solidarity and for equity.”