“The World Together”: the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response

In December 2021, at its second-ever special session, the World Health Assembly established an intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with a view to adoption under Article 19, or under other provisions of the WHO Constitution as may be deemed appropriate by the INB.

The INB’s will work based on the principles of inclusiveness, transparency, efficiency, Member State leadership and consensus.

Additional information on the INB, including official INB documents, are available on the website of the WHO Governing Bodies below

Livestreaming will begin on Tuesday 12 April 0800 CEST 

In the decision establishing the INB, the World Health Assembly also requested the WHO Director-General to support the work of the INB, including by holding public hearings, in line with standard WHO practice, prior to the second meeting of the INB to inform its deliberations.  This website is established by the WHO Secretariat as part of its support to the INB, including to facilitate the above-mentioned public hearings.

The WHO Secretariat is seeking input from all interested parties in these hearings, and strongly encourages participation in this important process. 

The WHO Constitution provides that, “Informed opinion and active co-operation on the part of the public are of the utmost importance in the improvement of the health of the people.”

The INB Public Hearings: The World Together, and public interest and support in them,  helps to advance this critical principle.

Guiding question for each round of public hearings

For the first round of hearings, the guiding question is the following: 

“What substantive elements do you think should be included in a new international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response?” 

The guiding question for the second round of hearings will be determined and published in due course.

Rounds of public hearings

Per the timeline established by the INB, two rounds of public hearings are planned, as followed: 

1. First Round:12-13 April
2. Second Round: 16-17 June

Modalities for the public hearings

The hearings will take place through two components:

• a spoken component (through videoconference technology); and  
• a written component (through a dedicated web portal).

A summary of key aspects of each component for the first round of public hearings is provided below: 

First round of public hearings regarding a new international instrument on pandemic preparedness and response: spoken component 

The timing of the spoken component of the first round of public hearings for the INB is as follows (all times CEST):

Subject to WHO’s policies and procedures and the availability of slots, spoken contributions will be welcome from all interested stakeholders, including both public and private sector entities, that register and accept the terms of use. 

“Interested stakeholders” in this context includes non-State actors with a demonstrable interest in pandemic preparedness and responses, such as: international organizations; civil society organizations; private sector organizations; philanthropic organizations; scientific, medical and public policy institutions; academic institutions; and other such entities that have relevant knowledge, experience and/or expertise related to pandemic preparedness and response to share.  

While all content and contributions will be moderated by the WHO Secretariat in line with the applicable terms and standard WHO practice, no input received should be interpreted as reflecting the view or position of WHO, and participation in the public hearings process is not to be considered an ‘engagement’ with any actor under WHO’s rules, procedures, and practices.

Please note that during the spoken component of the public hearings, the “chat”, “Q and A”, and “raise hand” features will be disabled, and speakers will be given the floor to speak by the WHO Secretariat moderator.

Should your organization wish to participate in the spoken component of the first round of the public hearings, please complete the information below. Should you wish to participate in the written component of the first round of the public hearings, please submit your input at this page.

Organizations that have been allocated a slot to participate will be notified by email. Please also note that due to high expected demand, WHO cannot guarantee speaking slots, or any specific speaking times, for the spoken component of the public hearings and may allocate the limited number of slots available with a view to ensuring the widest possible presentation of viewpoints.  

Please note that if your organization is not provided a speaking slot for any reason, participants are welcome to submit their comments through the written component, and are welcome to watch the broadcast of the public hearings on inb.who.int.