The UN’s second high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response ended without consensus on its political declaration, exposing continuing divisions over how to strengthen global readiness.
Meeting in New York on 25 September, countries called for sustained investment, stronger health systems, and fairer access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. However, the United States said it could not support the text in full. Italy raised objections, while the EU highlighted disagreements over technology transfer and intellectual property. The declaration was left for further General Assembly consideration.
The meeting emphasised that pandemic preparedness requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with investment maintained between emergencies. Priorities included strengthening national capabilities, early warning, community engagement, and public trust, alongside a ‘One Health’ approach linking human, animal, and environmental health.
A major unfinished task remains the pathogen access and benefit-sharing system under the separate WHO Pandemic Agreement, adopted in 2025. This would connect the sharing of pathogens with equitable access to medical products developed from them. WHO said adoption of the annex, sought at the World Health Assembly in May 2027, is needed before countries can begin national ratification processes.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that improvements since COVID-19 do not mean that the world is sufficiently prepared.
“We can never say the world is ready enough. The threat evolves, and so must we,” he said.
For resilience professionals, the discussions reinforce the importance of sustained pandemic preparedness and cross-sector cooperation, while the unresolved negotiations highlight continuing uncertainty around international coordination and access to essential medical supplies.
