South Centre Statement to the Open-ended IGWG8, 14 September 2026

Statement by the South Centre to the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, Eight Session (IGWG8) 

Geneva, 14 September 2026

Our statement to WHO IGWG8 calls for a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system that makes equity enforceable.

The statement urges negotiators to secure:

• Standard, legally binding contracts with WHO that link access to benefit-sharing commitments.
• Real-time set-asides and donations of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, alongside non-exclusive licensing and transfers of technology and know-how.
• Monetary contributions from entities that commercialize products or services developed using PABS materials or sequence information.
• Legal certainty, traceability and accountability.

The South Centre cautions that a “hybrid” architecture offering access through two routes, with benefit-sharing obligations attached to only one, would make benefit sharing a choice for some users, and hence is not a viable proposition.

We also think a federated workbench model discussed in informal negotiations merits further consideration.

For the WHO Pandemic Agreement to deliver on equity, access and benefit sharing must stand on an equal footing.

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Statement by the South Centre to the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, Eight Session (IGWG8)