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Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing negotiations

I would like to update the House regarding the ongoing negotiations of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) to secure an Annex to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic Agreement on a new Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system.

This Government’s last update to the House was on 3 June, following the decision by the World Health Assembly (WHA) to extend the deadline for the IGWG to submit the final outcome of the negotiations 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. Since then, the IGWG has held two further rounds of negotiations: a seventh meeting of the IGWG from 6 – 17 July and an eighth meeting, from 14 – 18 September.

The seventh and eighth meetings of the IGWG made progress in clarifying some of the key conceptual issues that remain to be resolved in the negotiations; however, differences remain across several complex and highly technical issues. Discussions focused on the modalities of access to PABS materials and sequence information, governance, and the scope of the system. Some progress was also made on how pathogens with pandemic potential could be defined and identifying which pathogens will be applicable for sharing through the PABS system.

As set out in our October 2025 update, the UK co-chaired the IGWG negotiations alongside Brazil from July 2025. The UK stepped back from this role in July 2026. A new Bureau co-chair is to be elected in due course.

The next formal round of negotiations will take place from 2 – 13 November. The UK remains fully committed to collaborating with Member States to secure a PABS Annex that serves both UK and global public health, and is firmly in the UK’s national as well as global interest.