What Is the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB)?

What is the Intergovermental Negotiating Body?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on human lives, economies, and societies. To avoid a repeat of the past, the international community should collaborate to be much better prepared and aligned in responding to possible future pandemic threats.

In December 2021, the World Health Assembly Special Session (WHASS) took place in Geneva, Switzerland. This is only the second time in the history of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the Health Assembly (WHA) has met for a second time in the same year. The WHA established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement, or other international instrument under the Constitution of the WHO to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The INB’s work is based on the principles of inclusiveness, transparency, efficiency, Member State leadership and consensus.

The INB should hold meetings to deliver a progress report to the 76th WHA in 2023, with the aim to adopt the instrument by 2024. In the decision establishing the INB, the WHA also requested the WHO Director-General to convene the INB meetings and support its work, including by holding public hearings to inform its deliberations. The United Nations system bodies, non-state actors, and other relevant stakeholders can participate in the process to the extent decided by the INB.

Together with other non-state actors, including the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), the International Hospital Federation (IHF), and the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the WFPHA provided several statements during the INB public hearing.

What is the INB doing?

At a special session of the World Health Assembly in December 2021, Member States of the WHO decided to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to represent all regions of the world. The INB's purpose is to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement, or other international instrument under the WHO Constitution to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, referred to as the WHO CA+.

During the second meeting of the INB in July 2022, it was agreed that the WHO CA+ should contain both legally binding and non-legally binding elements. The INB also identified Article 19 of the WHO Constitution as the comprehensive provision under which the instrument should be adopted.

At the third meeting of the INB in December 2022, the Conceptual Zero Draft (CZD) of the WHO CA+, including its structure, was considered. The INB also discussed the way forward for the negotiation process, including the development of a Zero Draft of the instrument. The INB agreed to develop the zero draft to start negotiations at the fourth INB meeting in February 2023.