In December 2021, the World Health Assembly established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The fifth meeting of the INB (INB5) took place from 3–6 April 2023 (to be resumed). At that meeting, countries of the World Health Organization continued the consideration of the Zero Draft of a potential pandemic accord and mapped out how negotiations on that potential accord would move forward with a view to presenting a draft accord for approval by the World Health Assembly in May 2024.
Countries were able to submit additional written proposals until 22 April and those proposals were then compiled with all others made over recent weeks into a package that was made available to all drafting group participants in a compilation document.
The INB Bureau also provided, in addition to this package, for consideration of the Drafting Group, a Bureau’s text, including options where feasible, based on all submissions received and included in the compilation document. The Bureau’s text is publicly available, in all WHO official languages, on the governing bodies section of the WHO website.
The INB5, as well as the Drafting Group of the INB, will now meet in a session from 12–16 June to consider these proposals. The INB Bureau held an informational meeting for this upcoming meeting with Member States and relevant stakeholders on 5 June.
The INB will begin its work in a plenary meeting, held in open session, which will be open to WHO Member States, Associate Members and regional economic integration organizations, as appropriate, as well all relevant stakeholders (as agreed by the INB, set out in document A/INB/5/4). It is expected that the INB will invite relevant stakeholders to provide their views during the first day of the meeting. In line with the Method of Work agreed by Member States. The INB will then continue its consideration of the proposals in a “drafting group”, with attendance limited to WHO Member States, Associate Members, regional economic integration organizations, and the observer delegations of the Holy See and Palestine.
Agenda items 1, 5 and 6 of the resumed INB5 will be webcast and archived for later viewing. A procedural report will be discussed on the last day (in a plenary meeting, which will be webcast) and subsequently posted on the governing bodies section of the WHO website.
Webcast