GHTC delivers statement to negotiators on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system

GHTC delivered the below statement at the second official meeting of the negotiators of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system annex to the Pandemic Agreement.

We welcome the start of negotiations for a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system. Your work together in the months to come will be essential to making the world safer for everyone. Given the short timeline for finalizing negotiations, we propose the following actions to ensure successful deliberations: 

• First, we call for a process that systematically and meaningfully engages civil society and relevant stakeholders as experts to reflect an inclusive, whole-of-society approach. We welcome the strategy of hosting informal sessions with experts, member states, and civil society ahead of each meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group to help advance shared understanding and agreement.  

• We also call on member states to work with all relevant stakeholders to define the scope of "materials and sequence information on pathogens with pandemic potential." Negotiations to date have focused on human samples and information, even though the majority of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses.

• Lastly, greater clarity is also still needed about how the World Health Organization will distribute benefits. The current draft agreement states that "the distribution of these vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics shall be on the basis of public health risk and need, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries."  But "public health risk and need" is a subjective categorization and could necessarily be affected by political imperatives. We therefore urge member states to outline decision-making criteria and make these publicly available for scrutiny. 

We know the coming months will present a challenging test for member states to find breakthroughs, and we encourage all parties to underscore their political commitment to the process. Success can only be achieved through a strong emphasis on equity and transparency, enshrined through robust and meaningful provisions in the PABS framework. We look forward to our continued participation in these forums to advance a meaningful outcome.