Sixth meeting of the open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement Opening remarks of the EU and EU Member States

Sixth meeting of the open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement

Opening remarks of the EU and EU Member States

Delivered on 23 March 2026

As we approach this final week of negotiations, we would first like to thank the Bureau, the Secretariat and Member States for their work and commitment to the negotiations.
The PABS Annex is intended to create a system for rapidly sharing pandemic pathogen samples and genetic data while significantly improving equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics for Parties and better equipping WHO and the international community to respond to future pandemics.
Without this Annex, the Pandemic Agreement will not be opened for signature and ultimately, our collective capacity to effectively prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics will be limited. We have a responsibility to conclude these negotiations and unlock the far-reaching potential of the Agreement. As such, there is a public health imperative that must drive us all.
Stressing the need for an open, collaborative and multilateral approach for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, the European Union reaffirms its strong commitment to conclude these negotiations and look forward to a successful outcome at the end of this week.
Progress has been achieved in the past few weeks and months – but far from enough. We call on all delegations to muster the necessary resolve to overcome our remaining differences. We also invite the Bureau to foster constructive and interactive discussions during this week and urge all delegations to seek and find all the solutions needed to enable convergence and thereby a successful conclusion.
Thank you.