A workshop on ‘Facilitating access and benefit sharing (ABS) for pathogens to support public health’, organized by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, took place on 11-12 June 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland. The objectives of the workshop were to:
- promote international awareness and coordination on access to pathogens and sharing of benefits arising from their use;
- learn from countries’ experience in implementing the Nagoya Protocol and its public health provisions; and
- develop preliminary ABS considerations regarding practices for sharing of pathogens that could support public health surveillance, preparedness and response, as well as the equity objectives of the Nagoya Protocol.
The workshop brought together participants from a cross-section of technical areas, such as health and environment, as well as from a broad variety of sectors, including: public, private, nongovernmental, academic and laboratory.