Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
UN Member States have been urged to commit to a stronger political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, including increased international financing of $15 billion annually, amid warnings that the next global health emergency could emerge at any time.
The call was made yesterday by the Friends of the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) high-level meeting, ahead of the UN meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response scheduled for September.
The group said the next pandemic threat could emerge in any country and spread across regions within days, stressing that no government could protect its population from future pandemics without relying on other countries to strengthen their own preparedness.
In a statement, the group said UN Member States must ensure that the outcome political declaration builds on commitments made during the COVID-19 pandemic rather than weakening them.
It recalled the G20 Rome Declaration of 2021, which endorsed collective action on global health, adequate financing for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, as well as equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other medical countermeasures.
The group also cited the call by world leaders in 2021 for a stronger international health architecture, noting that future pandemics and other major health emergencies would require global cooperation because “no single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone.”
Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, Helen Clark, and a member of The Elders, said the negotiations over the 2026 political declaration should be guided by whether they would make the promise of “never again” a reality.
“As UN Member States consider next drafts of the political declaration, they must ask themselves: will the text make the pledge of ‘never again’ a reality? Is it upholding the principles of multilateralism, solidarity and equity?” she said.
On financing, the group recalled the findings of the high-level independent panel on financing the global commons for pandemic preparedness and response, commissioned by the G20 in 2021.
The panel had estimated that international financing for pandemic prevention and preparedness needed to rise by $15 billion annually, with sustained investments in subsequent years.
It also called on all countries to finance their pandemic preparedness needs, noting that low and middle-income countries could strengthen domestic financing by allocating about an additional one per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to health spending.
The independent panel reiterated the financing call in its 2025 report, stressing that sustained investment was necessary to build systems capable of preventing and responding rapidly to future outbreaks.
The friends of the PPPR high-level meeting also urged governments to protect commitments on equitable access to lifesaving medical countermeasures, including vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
It pointed to the 2023 UN declaration in which member states reaffirmed their right to make full use of flexibilities under the World Trade Organisation’s TRIPS Agreement to protect public health and promote access to medicines, particularly in developing countries.
According to the group, countries also committed to strengthening basic prevention and preparedness capacities, including local and regional manufacturing and technology transfer.
It warned that these commitments should not be weakened in the 2026 political declaration, particularly against the backdrop of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“All regions and subregions must have the financing and capabilities needed to prevent and rapidly respond to health threats, including to rapidly produce vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other countermeasures they need,” the statement said.
The group called for the 2026 declaration to retain commitments on leadership, financing, TRIPS flexibilities, technology and knowledge transfer, and diversified production.
The Friends of the PPPR High-Level Meeting is an informal, time-limited platform of organisations working to advance pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, particularly efforts to secure a strong political declaration with measurable commitments.