Susanna Lehtimaki

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

📢The sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG6) to develop Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex for the #pandemictreaty kicked off today.

This is the final meeting with 6 full days before the World Health Assembly deadline in May.

🧵

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

Next steps:
🗨️Member States continue to build common ground through intersessional informals
📜Secretariat shares concept note on existing laboratory networks, including their ToRs
📍Formal negotiations continue 9-14 Feb

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

📢The resumed fourth meeting of Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG4) to develop Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex for #pandemictreaty ended today.

Co-chairs gave progress overview through 2 open sessions:
🔺Stakeholder briefing
🔺Meeting report & Closing

🧵

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

Further work is required for
🔓Access-links to IHR
🔬Laboratory network-building on existing WHO network
💻Databases-making them effective part of system
🥮Benefit sharing-links to PHEIC, monetary contributions, intellectual property
💼Governance-links to advisory committees, COP

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

🌍 The OPEN Framework is intended as practical guidance to make independence in global health oversight clearer and more consistent. It offers a practical way to assess accountability and build trust as funding is under strain.

🔗 https://t.co/UhLBxYtBm4

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

📄What does “independent” oversight in global health mean?

In our new paper with @nschwalbe @brianwahl and @elliothannon we show how independence is often claimed yet compromised, and introduce OPEN framework to assess operational independence.
🔗 https://t.co/UhLBxYtBm4

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

We break independence down into four practical dimensions:
🏗️ Organizational & operational
🏛️ Political
💰 Economic & financial
🧠 kNnowledge & technical

Together, these form the OPEN framework – a clearer way to assess whether oversight bodies are independent in practice.

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

📆Meeting runs 3 days (20-22 Jan)
⏰Tue and Wed include 2,5 hrs formals, with mornings and evenings reserved for informals
🕰️Thu opens with Stakeholder session, then moves into full-day formal talks before closing

🔜🔜More updates to follow on Thursday!

[Susanna Lehtimaki @Sulehti]

📢The fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG4) to develop Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex for the #pandemictreaty resumed today, continuing the meeting that began in December.

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

📢The fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG4) to develop Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex for the #pandemictreaty kicked off today.

🕰️The meeting runs from 1 to 5 December.

🚪Stakeholders will be left out of the room (again).

🧵

[alardah @alardah0k40]

A historic day in football: tens of thousands of Spaniards attended the friendly match between Palestine and the Basque team, with chants for Palestine and Gaza filling the stands. The match was held to raise donations for Gaza, and the stadium was completely full. For the first time in history, the crowd raised both flags and cheered for both teams.”

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

📢Today, the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) for the #pandemictreaty started its 3rd meeting to develop a Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex. The meeting takes place on 3-7 Nov in Geneva.

🧵

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

📢Day 4 of the 2nd Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG2) to develop a Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex for the #pandemictreaty started with a short briefing on yesterday’s closed sessions.

Co-chairs (Brazil, UK) updated relevant stakeholders on progress.

🧵

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

📢 Today, the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) started its 2nd meeting to develop a #pandemictreaty Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex.

📍The meeting started with stakeholders' statements emphasizing urgency, equity, and inclusivity in developing PABS.

🧵

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

💉The impact of a #PandemicTreaty will depend on more than promises.

📊Governments must deliver real accountability and compliance.

📄Our new piece in @PLOSGPH proves a blueprint.

https://t.co/nwJkrGlrjj

[Committee to Protect Journalists @pressfreedom]

Today's killing of four journalists in #Gaza includes Anas Al-Sharif one of Al Jazeera’s best-known reporters and one of several whom Israel had previously alleged were members of Hamas without providing evidence. Most recently, Al-Sharif had reported on the starvation that he and his colleagues were experiencing because of Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient food aid into Gaza.

#NotATarget

https://t.co/3wDEGmVlYa

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

🗓️Today in Geneva is the final week of #PandemicTreaty negotiations.

💉Today's focus is Pathogen Access & Benefit Sharing (art 12), which remains unresolved after three years of discussion.

🤷🏽What goes in the main document, and what will be negotiated later in an Annex?

🧵

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

🌧️ This morning, on the final day of the 13th International Negotiating Body for a #PandemicAccord meeting, the mood was notably deflated.

📉The message is that states aren’t optimistic about the current pace of progress.

[Nina Schwalbe, PhD @nschwalbe]

🛑This evening, the Co-Chairs closed the last formal #PandemicAccord negotiations for 2024.

🪨Despite progress on R&D (Art 9) & Financing (Art 20), differences remain on Tech Transfer (Art 11), Pathogen Access & Benefit Sharing (Art 12), and surveillance/OneHealth (Art 4/5)
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