On Sunday, 30 November, representatives of the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement gathered in Geneva for a table-top exercise hosted by the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Built around a fictitious outbreak scenario, the session was designed to prompt dialogue, reflection, and the exchange of diverse perspectives among participating Member States.

True to Geneva’s spirit of practical multilateralism, the exercise required no lab equipment or dramatic simulations—just participants around shared tables, bringing their expertise to explore hypothetical developments and discuss how countries might cooperate more effectively when the next pandemic emerges.

Led by the Global Health Centre with support from the International Peace Institute (IPI), the exercise provided an informal and constructive space for delegates to consider how a future Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism could strengthen global preparedness and response capacities. The session offered concrete insights to support ongoing negotiations and underscored the value of Geneva as a hub for diplomatic engagement, technical expertise, and collective problem-solving.