This issue of the Governing Pandemics Snapshot, the latest in the Geneva Graduate Institute series, recaps highlights of the past six months of negotiations over a new World Health Organisation (WHO) pandemic accord or agreement. Additionally, it takes a closer look at three strategic issues: the conundrum of parallel negotiations over a Pandemic Accord and revisions to the existing WHO International Health Regulations (IHR) governing health emergencies; proposals for turning the new Pandemic Accord into a WHO Pandemic "regulation" - sidestepping the thorny issue of country ratification; and finally the complex issues around the sharing of pathogen genetic sequence data (GSD), which is essential for the development of new medicines and vaccines - but also a resource that most developing countries assert needs recompense from the pharma industry