| No images? Click here  Friday, 16 January 2026 | Issue 336  © WHO  20 – 22 January 2026 Resumed fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement Hybrid, Geneva, Switzerland The resumed session of the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement will be conducted in hybrid format during 20–22 January 2026, from 09:00–13:00 and 15:00–17:30 each day. In May 2025, the World Health Assembly adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement under Article 19 of the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Through resolution WHA78.1, the Health Assembly established an open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) to undertake several tasks, including, as a priority, drafting and negotiating an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system. This system will enable the safe, transparent and accountable access and benefit-sharing for PABS materials and sequence information. At the fourth meeting in December, Member States requested to extend the round of negotiations, agreeing to resume in January 2026. The finalized PABS annex is expected to be submitted to the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in 2026 for its consideration.  22 January WHO EPI-WIN webinar: safe & dignified mpox care for displaced communities and overcrowded settings 22 January 2026 13:00 – 14:30 CET Virtual meeting Background As of late 2025, mpox is no longer classified as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) but continues to be monitored as an active multi-country outbreak. Following the resurgence of Clade 1 cases in parts of Africa in 2024, WHO re-declared mpox a PHEIC; however, the emergency committee’s most recent review (Oct 2025) concluded that the situation, while still serious, no longer meets the criteria for a global emergency. Mpox transmission now persists at low-to- moderate levels, mainly in endemic and humanitarian settings, where overcrowding and limited access to healthcare and isolation options continue to drive localized clusters. WHO and partners are supporting countries to strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacities, vaccination, clinical care, IPC/WASH and community care capacities to prevent further spread and ensure equitable access to care. More here: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2026/01/22/default-calendar/who-epi-win-webinar-safe-dignified-mpox-care-for-displaced-communities-and-overcrowded-settings  WHO events here Sign up for our newsletters here Check out the WHO series, Science in 5 Access WHO photos available for media use here  WHO media contacts:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list. |
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