Importance of Global Cooperation for Pandemic Preparedness

Today, in Scientific American, Alexandra Finch and I explain why the world desperately needs a Pandemic Treaty. https://lnkd.in/gGUvkyBe The last two years have seen a lot of squabbling & self-interest in the Geneva negotiations. But when the INB meets again in July, nations must coalesce around a grand global bargain, a win-win for people everywhere, in the Global North and South. The grand social bargain would protect future generations from the devastating and inequitable impacts of pandemics. The global social contract has two objectives: the open exchange of scientific information in real time, and the equitable allocation of medical countermeasures. These objectives are not opposed, but essential and synergistic. Each prong would make us all more secure, and the world fairer. The Global North, especially the US and Europe have focused on open scientific exchange in real time. But transparent sharing of scientific information protects everyone worldwide. The Global South, especially the Africa Group, Brazil and others, have focused on equitable sharing the benefits of research and development, such as vaccines and treatments. Equity isn't charity but rather is mutually beneficial to everyone, making the world stronger and more resilient. The World Health Organization has pressed for equity and security. Now let's get on with the hard work of forging agreement, not only on science and equity but also One Health, Diversified Manufacturing, and sustainable financing. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to cooperate so that our children and grandchildren can live in a more secure and fairer world https://lnkd.in/gGUvkyBe

A Historic Milestone in Global Health Security On April 16, 2025, after more than three years of negotiations, 194 WHO Member States finalized a draft Pandemic Agreement aimed at transforming how the world prevents, prepares for, and responds to future pandemics. This landmark accord, shaped by the hard lessons of COVID-19, will be presented for adoption at the World Health Assembly in May. Key provisions of the agreement include: • Equitable Access to Medical Countermeasures: The WHO will reserve 20% of pandemic-related health products (e.g., vaccines, treatments, diagnostics) for equitable distribution to low- and middle-income countries . • Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System: A new mechanism ensures that countries sharing pathogen samples receive timely access to resulting health technologies . • Strengthened Global Surveillance: Enhanced early warning systems and data sharing protocols to detect and respond to health threats more effectively . • Robust Health Systems: Commitments to bolster national health infrastructures, ensuring readiness and resilience against future outbreaks . WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the agreement as a testament to global solidarity: “In reaching consensus on the Pandemic Agreement, countries have demonstrated their shared commitment to preventing and protecting everyone, everywhere, from future pandemic threats.” This accord represents a pivotal step toward a safer, more equitable world. It underscores the importance of collaboration, transparency, and preparedness in safeguarding global health. #GlobalHealth #PandemicPreparedness #HealthEquity #WHOAccord #PublicHealth

This week The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, on which I serve as a board member, released its 2023 report with a warning at its start: the widespread perception that pandemic threats have receded is dangerously misguided, and our preparedness for the next pandemic remains perilously fragile. One of the major shortcomings in global preparedness right now is an R&D divide between wealthy and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Countries with the resources to invest in R&D are able to develop vaccines and roll out treatments quickly; LMICs lacking that infrastructure are forced to wait longer to deliver life-saving treatments to those in need. To head off the same outcome during the next pandemic, we have to bolster regional R&D capabilities, from better capacities for manufacturing to more efficient monitoring of emerging pandemic risks. We need to do so with a focus on the people most at risk and the countries most often left behind. Getting there will require a united global approach and I encourage you to read the full report below: https://lnkd.in/dRykFX7k