The next pandemic threat could arise anytime, in any
country, and infect every region in a matter of days. Every
government will have a duty to protect its population, and
every government will have to rely on its global neighbours
to do the same. Pathogens have no party affiliations or
passports.
As UN Member States continue to negotiate
an outcome political declaration for September’s UN
High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and
Response, we remind them to uphold past pledges and
commitments they have made to make the world
safer.
In the midst of COVID-19, world leaders
were clear: the only way to tackle pandemic threats is
together, through collective
action.
Commitments of 2021 must be built on
today
The G20 Rome
Declaration outcome of the May 2021 Global
Health Summit affirmed G20-wide government support for
collective action for global health, adequate financing for
pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and
equitable access to pandemic countermeasures.
European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated
this collective commitment: “World
leaders gave a strong message: Never again. We have learnt
the lessons from the current crisis. And we are determined
to make COVID-19 the last pandemic.”
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Also
in 2021, world leaders representing Albania, Chile, Costa
Rica, Croatia, the European Council, Fiji, France, Germany,
Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal,
Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago,
Tunisia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom called
for unity at the highest level through a
pandemic treaty.
They stressed that “pandemic
preparedness needs global leadership for a global health
system fit for this millennium” with “a more robust
international health architecture that will protect future
generations.” They stated: “There will be other
pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single
government or multilateral agency can address this threat
alone.”
“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?
We say: build on the
progress, principles and pledges you have made since
COVID-19. Dangerous pathogens have proved time and again
that we must build stronger systems and simply cannot afford
to retreat.”
The Right Honourable Helen
Clark, Co-Chair of the Independent Panel, Member of The
Elders
Financing: increase domestic, and $15 billion
international
That same year the G20 commissioned the
landmark
report of the High-Level Independent Panel on
Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and
Response, which found that to meet these pledges,
international financing for pandemic prevention and
preparedness would need to increase by US$15 billion each
year, with sustained investments in subsequent years. It
called on all countries to finance PPPR needs, noting that
low- and middle-income countries could achieve this by
contributing about an additional 1% of GDP domestically to
health spending. The Panel reiterated
this call for financing in its 2025
report.
Equitable access: support for
R&D, manufacturing, TRIPS
Member
States have also repeatedly recognized that
preparedness must include equitable access to lifesaving
medical countermeasures. In the 2023
UN Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention,
Preparedness and Response, Member States
reaffirmed the right to use, to the fullest extent, the
flexibilities contained in the WTO TRIPS Agreement to
protect public health and promote access to medicines,
particularly in developing countries. They also committed to
investing in basic prevention and preparedness capacities,
including strengthening local and regional production and
supporting technology transfer.
Multilateralism,
solidarity, equity
These commitments to solidarity
against pandemic threats, including adequate financing and
equitable access to countermeasures, matter enormously for
our collective preparedness – especially during a
fast-moving health emergency like the ongoing Ebola outbreak
in the 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 commitments
already made to leadership, financing, TRIPS flexibilities,
technology and knowledge transfer, and diversified
production must not be weakened in the 2026
Declaration.
About the Friends of the
PPPR High-Level Meeting
Friends of the PPPR HLM
is an informal, time-limited platform for organisations
working to support progress in pandemic PPR and specifically
working to secure a strong political declaration from the
2026 HLM that contains measurable commitments. It is
co-convened by The Elders, FOUR PAWS, The Independent Panel
for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and Resilience
Action Network International
(rani).
