On Monday, 3 November 2025, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) delivered the following intervention at the Third meeting of the open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
Given the significant attacks on the WHO and the importance of restoring and improving the public’s trust in the institution and in this treaty, we strongly urge negotiators to embrace more open and transparent rules for conducting the negotiations.
Secrecy undermines trust and enables misinformation to have more impact. It would be better for all concerned to follow the lead of WIPO and to open and webcast all plenary sessions.
As regards the draft PABS Annex, it is important to retain footnote 1, (technology transfer) which refers to footnote 8 of the main treaty text.
The requirement that “commitments undertaken by each Participating Manufacturer in its WHO PABS Contract shall be made publicly available by WHO” is welcome, but insufficient as regards transparency. The full text of PABS contracts should be published, and require that prices, quantities and revenues of products be published on a WHO website. The transparency norms of resolution WHA72.8 can and should be included, by reference.
Given the history of price gouging and inequality, obligating manufacturers to provide “access to pandemic-related health products” is regrettably vague.
Consider the language in the 2025 European Health Data Spaces Regulation, paragraph 61, which states:
“the use of health data for research and development purposes should contribute to benefiting society in the form of new medicines, medical devices, and healthcare products and services at affordable and fair prices for Union citizens, as well as to enhancing access to and the availability of such products and services in all Member States.”
“At affordable and fair prices” is a separate obligation from mere access or availability.