The World Health Organization enters a new round of talks on 14 September on one of the most important and sensitive parts of the WHO Pandemic Agreement. In Geneva, the eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) opens. The group is charged with drafting the annex on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing — PABS. The meeting runs in hybrid format from 14 to 18 September 2026. The annex has not been approved. Negotiations continue.

According to WHO, sessions are scheduled each day, Geneva local time, from 09:00–13:00 and 15:00–19:30. The opening and closing sessions will be webcast. The closing session on 18 September is due to start at 17:30.

What is PABS?

PABS is meant to be a multilateral mechanism: pathogens with pandemic potential and related information, including sequence data, should be shared rapidly, safely, transparently and accountably. At the same time, countries are negotiating how benefits arising from the use of those materials and data should be shared fairly. WHO cites, as examples of benefits, vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other medical products needed in a pandemic response.

Why the system matters

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed large gaps between countries in access to vaccines, medical products and technology. The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted to strengthen cooperation on prevention, preparedness and response. PABS is one of the central pieces still being written. The organisation’s formulation is that access and benefit-sharing should stand on equal footing: countries that share information about a threat quickly should also be able to benefit fairly from products later developed using that information.

Negotiations are not finished

The seventh IGWG meeting was held in Geneva from 6 to 17 July 2026. On 20 July, WHO said Member States had advanced and further streamlined the draft text, but that talks needed to continue on more complex issues in order to move closer to consensus. Remaining topics include the contractual arrangements underpinning the framework, the structure of laboratory networks that would handle pathogens and sequence information, and the definition of benefits. The meeting report also notes that delegations presented different conceptual approaches to the system’s architecture, including federated and hybrid models. None of that means the annex is complete.

The main agreement was adopted in 2025

The WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2025 under Article 19 of the WHO Constitution. It is intended to strengthen international cooperation in preventing, preparing for and responding to future pandemics. The PABS annex was not finished at the same time as the main text. Through resolution WHA78.1, the Assembly established the IGWG to continue, as a priority, drafting and negotiating this component.

When should the outcome be presented?

Under the current mandate, the outcome of the PABS negotiations is to be submitted to the Eightieth World Health Assembly in May 2027. WHO also refers to the possibility of earlier consideration at a special session of the Health Assembly in 2026. WHO has not announced that such a special session has been convened. Until then, the text remains a draft under negotiation.

Five days in Geneva

IGWG8 lasts five days and is hybrid. The official timetable is 09:00–13:00 in the morning and 15:00–19:30 in the afternoon and evening, Geneva time. Closing on 18 September is scheduled for 17:30. Provisional documents and the draft annex are posted on the working group’s page.

Why this matters to the public

Much of the negotiation is technical and diplomatic. If a working system emerges, it could affect how quickly new threats are identified, how fast information moves, how vaccines, tests and treatments are developed, how those products reach lower-income countries, and how governments work with manufacturers. Between now and 18 September, the official WHO record to watch is whether the draft changes, where disagreements remain, and what Member States say at the close — not a finished agreement.

Photo: WHO / Christopher Black. Seventh meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, Geneva, 6–17 July 2026. Archive photograph, not from the 14–18 September 2026 meeting. The image was cropped to 16:9.

Sources consulted: Eighth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement | WHO; WHO Member States continue negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex | WHO; IGWG8 — documents | WHO; WHA78.1 — WHO Pandemic Agreement.