Countries Closer Than Before As Geopolitics Reshapes Dynamics In Pandemic Treaty Talks; Agreement Hinges On Pathogen Access & Benefits Sharing

Newsletter Edition #120 [Treaty Talks]

This story has been updated with country statements made at the closing of the meeting on February 21, 2025.

Hi,

The dynamics in the Pandemic Agreement negotiations have transformed. Not because countries are giving up on long held positions, at least not yet, but there is greater openness and less rigidity than before among key actors, diplomatic sources say.

Read our deep dive today where we discuss the state of play and examine the negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing more closely.

This is an organic process, too vast for any one country or group of countries, or even stakeholders to influence. And this is fascinating to watch.

I also want to say that I am indebted to numerous sources who take the time to explain to the nuances in legal language contributing to accuracy in our reporting.

Thank you for reading.

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Until later!

Priti

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Illustration Credit: Amy Clarke, Chembe Collaborative

I. INB13 UPDATE

Countries Closer Than Before As Geopolitics Reshapes Dynamics In Pandemic Treaty Talks; Agreement Hinges On Pathogen Access & Benefits Sharing

By Priti Patnaik

Nishant Sirohi contributed to this story

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As Brussels tries to find a footing, and re-evaluates its strategies in a starkly different geopolitical landscape, the dynamics in the Pandemic Treaty Talks is reflecting an unmistakable shift with a more “constructive role” being played by the European Union, diplomats in the negotiations are of the view. This could have an impact on if and how soon, WHO member states reach closer to consensus in a Pandemic Agreement.

From discussions on prevention, to pathogen access and benefits sharing, countries made slow but noticeable progress this week. With less than a week of scheduled negotiating days left, ahead of the May 2025 deadline, the crunch time is here. While the current meeting draws to a close today, the INB is scheduled to meet during April 7-11, preceded by informal inter-sessional meetings.

This week saw a rash of informal bilateral meetings among countries across the spectrum, something that was not as visible for much of these negotiations. (These bilaterals are simply officials from different countries gathering to speak around a table in the spaces outside the formal negotiating room). Both diplomats and stakeholders involved in these discussions spoke about improved trust in the process, even as distance on some of the most contentious provisions remains to be bridged. There has been more optimism and a greater willingness to conclude the negotiations than has been witnessed previously.

In this story we focus on the discussions on the PABS mechanism that is going to be instrumental for the success of these negotiations.

Even as a substantial portion of the draft Pandemic Agreement appears in green signifying “initial agreement”, how and to what extent countries will agree on the PABS mechanism will ultimately prove to be decisive not only for the adoption of the agreement, but also ratification of the instrument that is envisioned to include a workable PABS mechanism. For many developing countries particularly in Africa, this continues to be a priority.

Image Credit: Photo by Steve Johnson, Pexels