Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement at the seventy-eighth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2025. The Pandemic Agreement sets out the principles, approaches and tools for better international coordination across a range of areas, in order to strengthen the global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
In the resolution adopting the Pandemic Agreement, the WHA established a new body – the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) – to take forward the work to draft and negotiate the Annex on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) described in Article 12 of the Pandemic Agreement, and submit the outcome to the next WHA in 2026 for its consideration.
The IGWG was also tasked with preparatory work to establish key entities and mechanisms of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, including the Conference of Parties, Coordinating Financial Mechanism and Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network.
This side event at the seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific aims to:
- Update Member States on the work of the IGWG, with a focus on the status of negotiations related to the PABS Annex of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
- Illustrate practical applications of PABS systems and lessons learned from the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework.
- Highlight regional initiatives to align and coordinate financing for pandemic preparedness and response.
Programme
Opening and welcome
- Moderator: Dr Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director, WHO Western Pacific Region
- Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, Regional Director, WHO Western Pacific Region
Update on the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
- Ms Fleur Davies, Acting First Assistant Secretary, Global Health Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, and ex-Vice-Chair of the IGWG Bureau
Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system experiences from the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework
- Dr Eun Jin Kim, Director, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Republic of Korea, and member of the PIP Framework Advisory Group
Stronger financial coordination for pandemic preparedness and health security in the region
- Representative from the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, China
- Dr Gabriel Leung, Director, Institute of Philanthropy, Hong Kong SAR, China
Discussion, questions and answers
- Dr Gina Samaan (moderator)
Closing
- Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala
All delegates to the seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific are welcome to attend in person at the RCM76 venue.