Our co-chairs Your Excellency Ambassador Tovar and Mr Matthew Harpur,
Our Vice-Chairs, Ambassador Dlamini, Dr Hanan, Dr Viroj and Ms Heyward;
Honourable Members of the Executive Board,
Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
Thank you for joining this briefing, and thank you for your continued commitment to this process.
My sincere appreciation to the co-chairs and the Bureau for their steady leadership, and to all IGWG members for the dedication they have brought to this work.
You have developed the space for dialogue, prepared the technical groundwork and supported Member States through each stage of this negotiation.
Needless to say, the IGWG meeting next week is a make-or-break moment to build convergence.
It is an opportunity to narrow gaps, clarify expectations and move toward shared understanding on the key issues that remain.
Progress next week will be essential for maintaining momentum.
As you know, the World Health Assembly has given the IGWG a clear mandate.
The Pandemic Agreement has been adopted, and the task now is to complete the work needed to operationalize it.
Without the PABS Annex, as you know, the Agreement is not fully ready for signature, ratification and implementation.
The deadline is absolute. This year’s World Health Assembly must receive a text that Member States can consider and act upon.
There is no scope for delay – I hope – because the next pandemic will not wait.
You, the Member States, demonstrated last year that progress is possible, even under pressure.
You reached agreement on the core instrument itself, including Article 12, which sets out many of the elements that guide your work today.
You can do it again. The Secretariat stands ready to support you at every stage of the process.
We will provide technical input, legal support and any additional assistance you request.
I urge you to use the time that remains to deepen dialogue, explore compromise and focus on areas where convergence is within reach.
I remember when many were a bit skeptical about the Pandemic Agreement last year, I remember one message that resonated: we may not be happy with some of the things, but can we live with it? It may not be perfect, but we need to ask this question.
That helped you to find common ground, and I remember those long nights. You’ve done it before, and you will do it again.
The default cannot be the status quo: it has failed to deliver on equity and keep the world safe. We can, and we need, to do better.
The world is watching, so my message to all Member States is: let’s get this done. I am very confident you will.
I thank you.