Countries have advanced negotiations on rules for sharing pathogens and the benefits of research, WHO reported on 18 September after a five-day meeting in Geneva.

The proposed annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement would connect the sharing of pathogen materials and genetic information with fair access to resulting vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. Negotiations remain ongoing.

The talks precede a United Nations high-level meeting on pandemic preparedness scheduled for 25 September in New York. WHO says completing the annex would allow countries to move towards signing and considering ratification of the agreement.

Source: WHO · Source date: 2026-09-18.

News brief compiled from the linked source.

File photo: Shore of the East River with Headquarters of the United Nations, New York City, 20231005 1131 2224.jpg — Jakub Hałun. Wikimedia Commons original · CC BY 4.0. Resized; cropped in cards. Representative image, not a photograph of the reported event.