Political leaders meeting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) renewed their commitment to making the world safer from future pandemics, stressing the need for sustained and more equitable investment and action on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR).
The UNGA today held its second High-level Meeting on PPPR, following its first staged in 2023 in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and gaps in global health security. Countries stressed that strengthening PPPR is not a health issue alone – it requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with involvement of communities and all relevant sectors.
Leaders recognized the progress made in the past three years to strengthen global systems to detect, prepare for and respond to pandemic threats, including adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005). Capacities and infrastructure for PPPR have also been scaled up with the establishment of global centres dedicated to epidemic and pandemic surveillance, sharing of pathogens, and local manufacturing of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.
Addressing today's meeting, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, however, said that continued action and investment were needed to sustain progress and better prepare the world to respond to threats like COVID-19, which was linked to more than 20 million excess deaths between 2020 and 2023, and wiping over US$ 10 trillion from the global economy.
"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the fault lines of global health security, and taught the world many painful lessons," said Dr Tedros. "The political commitment shown today reflects those lessons, and includes important commitments to concrete, measurable and urgent action to build and strengthen local and national capacities, to invest in resilient health systems, and to expand equitable access to products, tools and resources."
Countries also stressed the urgent need to successfully finalize negotiations on an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement to establish the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system, which is currently being negotiated by WHO Member States.
The purpose of the PABS annex is to operationalize a system for the timely sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential, and benefits arising from their use. This will enable research, development and timely and equitable sharing of vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and other health products arising from those pathogens. Adoption of the Annex at the coming World Health Assembly, in May 2027, is necessary for WHO Member States to start national consideration to ratify the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
"The Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing System, under negotiation, is critical to unlocking the full potential of the WHO Pandemic Agreement. There is no time to waste," said Mrs Amina Mohammed, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General Mr António Guterres. "I call on Member States to accelerate these actions. Let's get it done. Let's deliver the Pandemic Agreement the world is waiting for."
The Declaration underscores that national health security can only be achieved with global solidarity, and that international cooperation is essential for protecting communities and countries from cross-border threats.
Recognizing that preventing pandemics begins long before an outbreak, the declaration highlights the importance of a One Health approach that addresses the connections between human, animal and environmental health.
In opening the meeting, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the 81st UN General Assembly, said international cooperation was essential to protect the world from inevitable future pandemics through equitable and timely access to vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other essential medical supplies, stronger health systems and closing persistent financing gaps to empower people and communities.
"We have the knowledge, we have the tools, we have the science and expertise, and we have the hard lessons of COVID-19," Dr Rahman told the meeting. "Let us use them for ourselves, our families and our loved ones. And also in memory of those we lost and in recognition of all those who suffered, needlessly."
As discussions continued throughout the day, leaders taking part in the HLM emphasized that prevention, preparedness and response must remain a sustained political priority, not only during crises but in the years between them. They stressed that protecting the world from future pandemics will require continued political leadership, international cooperation and long-term investment.
