World Health Assembly: Adoption of the Pandemic Agreement

I would like to update the House regarding the international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response at the World Health Organisation. From 19 to 27 May, member states are convening at the World Health Assembly, the WHO’s main decision-making body, to discuss a wide range of global health issues. After three years of successful negotiations by member states, the pandemic agreement was adopted by the WHA on 20 May.

This is an historic moment, of which the UK and the rest of the world can be proud. The pandemic agreement represents an unprecedented opportunity to turn the hard lessons from covid-19 into lasting reform, by strengthening global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. My last update to the House on 24 April outlined the benefits of the pandemic agreement and underlined that the agreement will respect the sovereignty of member states and protect our right to make independent, domestic public health decisions in the event of another pandemic. It should protect the NHS and the health of our people, and benefit our health security, economy and jobs, in line with our plan for change.

Now that the agreement has been adopted, an intergovernmental working group has been established to facilitate member states in negotiating and drafting an annex to the pandemic agreement. This annex will clarify the details of the pathogen access and benefit sharing system, including how it will operate. These negotiations will begin later this year. The UK will strongly advocate for expert input into the IGWG, to ensure the PABS system is both workable and effective. We will continue to work alongside our counterparts in the devolved Governments, overseas territories and crown dependencies, to ensure the development of a PABS system that works for the UK, the life sciences industry and our international partners.

Once the negotiations on the PABS annex have successfully concluded, the agreement, including the annex, will be open for signature. The agreement will not be binding on the UK as a matter of international law until the UK Government have ratified it in accordance with our own constitutional process. This would involve laying the agreement as a treaty before Parliament for scrutiny in the usual way.

I will continue to update the House at important and relevant junctures over the course of follow-up negotiations on the PABS system.

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