Hi,

We report on global health, while taking into cognizance that it is not insular to trade, diplomatic, political and commercial considerations. At this point, foreign policy appears to be dominating health policy-making for all practical purposes.

In this edition, we follow up on how the talks in Geneva on the Pathogen Access Benefit Sharing (PABS) system at the WHO have continued this week, despite the hive of activity on the other side of the Atlantic.

Read our story today to understand how an emerging U.S.-Africa axis intersects with multilateral efforts in Geneva, and how this might shape the PABS talks directly or indirectly. We also discuss implications for other actors relative to these developments.

We notice some new narratives on the ingenuity of the America First global health strategy. Follow our work as we report on how these manoeuvres are being perceived in Geneva.

[The unusually late hour (in Europe) of sending this edition is on account of the suspension of the negotiations that wrapped up only earlier this evening.]

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More soon!

Best,

Priti

Feel free to write to us: patnaik.reporting@gmail.com or Follow us on Twitter: @filesgeneva

I. IGWG PABS UPDATE

Developing Countries Push for Contractual Obligations for Pathogen Access & Benefit Sharing, As Africa-America Realpolitik Gathers Steam With Bilateral Deals

Anyone familiar with Lake Geneva, will also know the white swans that dot the shores. These birds are deceptively calm. They are dry on the outside but are really furiously paddling underneath. And sometimes they can be aggressive.

The mood in Geneva at the talks over the Pathogen Access Benefits Sharing (PABS) system at WHO, brought these birds to mind.

This week, more than 80 countries, representing 75% of the world’s population, also submitted draft contracts for the consideration of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) set up to negotiate the PABS - an annex to the Pandemic Agreement. The submissions led by the Equity Group, among others, included contracts on data access, and two contracts governing transfer of material and sequence information with labs and with participating manufacturers. These countries are pushing for negotiations on these standard contracts that they see as integral to the PABS annex. Developing countries believe that contracts will provide legal certainty to the PABS mechanism.

In this story, we note the implications of the first bilateral agreement signed between the U.S. and Kenya yesterday, and also examine developments at the IGWG.