GOVERNING PANDEMICS INITIATIVE
The Governing Pandemics Initiative, launched in 2021, aims to meaningfully contribute to reforming and building a more effective and equitable global system for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR).
The initiative has supported post-COVID-19 global governance reform processes, particularly the negotiations of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), through strategic convening, capacity and trust-building activities, research & analysis, and facilitating access to expertise.
The Governing Pandemics website offers key official documents, a selection of additional research and analysis, and regular updates about ongoing policy processes. This resource may be useful for a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, international organizations, journalists, civil society organizations, the private sector, academic researchers and students, as well as citizens concerned about building a more equitable and effective global system for governing potential pandemics.
Stay informed on efforts shaping pandemic governance
Read the Governing Pandemics Snapshot, a series of periodic briefings on the state of global reforms for pandemic preparedness and response.
Related activities
Access to Health Products for Ebola-Bundibugyo: Implications for the PABS Annex
DESCRIPTION
The Global Health Centre invites you to join a webinar on how access to health products is being negotiated amidst the ongoing Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) epidemic and potential implications for the design of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) Annex.
Over the past several months, the BVD epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has grown faster than any previous Ebola outbreak, with cases also detected in neighboring Uganda, as well as Germany and France. WHO declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in May 2026. With no approved vaccines or therapeutics for BVD and limited diagnostics, ongoing efforts are focusing on assessing the potential of existing products approved for other strains of Ebola, and testing new candidates. As negotiations towards the PABS Annex are poised to resume, what do efforts to advance research and development (R&D), including clinical trials, and to secure equitable access to products for BVD imply for the construction of a future PABS system?
The webinar will begin with an overview of developments and agreements on product R&D and access, followed by a Q&A session with representatives from invited organizations.
SPEAKERS
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Carmen Pérez Casas, Senior Strategy Lead & Pandemic Preparedness & Response Head, Unitaid
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Emma Wheatley, Executive Director, Access and Business Development, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
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Julia Barnes-Weise, Executive Director, Global Healthcare Innovation Alliance Accelerator (GHIAA)
Moderated by Suerie Moon, Professor of Practice, International Relations & Political Science Department and Director, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute
Sharing Pathogen Data in Ebola and Hantavirus Outbreaks: Implications for Pathogen Access and…
DESCRIPTION
The Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute is pleased to invite you to a webinar on how pathogen data was shared during the 2026 Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks, and the implications of these experiences for the design of the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system under the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
The discussion will begin with a concise overview of database policy options and the factors that influence scientists’ choices between open access or restricted-use options, followed by a moderated discussion on the policy implications for PABS.
SPEAKERS
– Emma Hodcroft, Assistant Professor, Swiss TPH, University of Basel, Switzerland.
– Chaoran Chen, Scientific Software Engineer, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
– Isabella Eckerle, Full Professor and Director of the Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases, Hopitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), Switzerland
– Stephen Kanyerezi, Bioinformatician, The Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Uganda
– Eddy K. Lusamaki, Research Physician at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB), Democratic Republic of the Congo
Moderated by Adam Strobeyko, Legal Advisor & Researcher, Global Health Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute
Building on Success: Insights, Reflections and next steps for the Pandemic Agreement
On 17 June 2025, the Global Health Centre’s Governing Pandemics Initiative and International Geneva Global Health Platform co-hosted with the Global Preparedness and Monitoring Board (GPMB) and Pandemic Action Network (PAN) @rani.action, a panel discussion on the theme: “Building on Success: Insights, Reflections and next steps for the Pandemic Agreement.”
Related Publications
Spotlight on process: lessons for PABS from other multilateral negotiations: workshop report
Governing Pandemics Snapshot Issue 8
Governing Pandemics Snapshot Issue 7
PABS 101 : principes fondamentaux de l'accès aux agents pathogènes et du partage des avantages dans le cadre de L'Accord sur les pandémies
PABS 101: Foundations of Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing under the Pandemic Agreement
Governing Pandemics Snapshot – Issue 6
Comprendre le financement en cas de pandémie et tirer des enseignements d’autres expériences
What’s new in the draft Pandemic Agreement?
De la négociation à la mise en oeuvre: élaborer une gouvernance efficace pour l'Accord de l'OMS sur les pandémies
Le transfert de technologie en pratique : quels enjeux pour les négociations de L'Accord sur les pandémies
Technology transfer in practice: implications for Pandemic Agreement negotiations
Governing pandemics snapshot. Issue 5