Governing pathogen- and benefit-sharing: From pandemic influenza to Ebola, Zika and MERS

Rapid, reliable sharing of pathogens among public health authorities and research institutions is critical for identifying a disease, assessing risk, and developing strategies and technologies to control outbreaks. However, periodic cases of delayed sharing of pathogens have punctuated the last decade, where, in some cases, delayed sharing has been justified politically by citing concerns with access and benefit and legally by referring to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) principle of sovereignty over genetic resources. Such cases have underlined how pathogen-sharing needs to go in parallel with fair access to outbreak-control technologies and other benefits resulting from pathogen samples. The overall objective of the workshop is to allow participants from sending and receiving laboratories, research and academic institutions and stakeholders from governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental sectors to present and discuss, in the form of roundtables, the issue of pathogen- and benefit-sharing and develop a way forward. As such, this workshop has the following specific aims, to:1-Explore the scientific factors, organizational policies, formal and informal norms and economic considerations driving pathogen and benefit sharing 2-Assess existing global legal and governance frameworks on pathogen- and benefit- sharing and explore the possibility of tools, instruments and frameworks tailored to emerging infectious diseases (e.g. Zika, MERS, Ebola)As such, the workshop will explore the most important determinants (legal, economic, political, scientific, technological, social) of pathogen and benefit sharing, assess the existing knowledge gaps and examine progress that can be made to rectify them. Furthermore, the workshop will discuss the benefits and shortcomings of existing global governance frameworks for pathogen-sharing and explore the specific global governance tools, instruments and frameworks that are likely be most effective. By translating these considerations into legal and policy terms, we expect the workshop will start a conversation that will lead to laying the ground for further research in this area.