Monrovia-An overwhelming majority of Member States at the United Nations General Assembly have adopted a Political Declaration as the outcome of the September 25 High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR), and the Friends of the High-Level Meeting say adoption is welcome, but implementation is everything.
In a statement issued Sunday, the Friends applauded the adoption as an important marker of multilateral commitment to make the world safer from pandemic threats, but warned that leaders must now act to turn words and commitments into action.
“We applaud the adoption of the Political Declaration but say: now countries must make good on their words,” the Friends said.
On Sunday, in a vote in the General Assembly, 153 countries adopted the declaration, with just three voting against and two abstentions, underlining broad global support for stronger pandemic preparedness despite ongoing geopolitical divisions.
The declaration recognizes that the world is still insufficiently prepared for the next pandemic threat and references core areas that must be addressed. It underlines the importance of the International Health Regulations and the Pandemic Agreement, and the need to conclude the Agreement’s Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex.
It also recognizes the value of a One Health approach and prevention at source by tackling the drivers of outbreaks; calls for prioritizing equity and promoting access to vaccines, tests and treatments, and for such tools to be available within the first 100 days of a pandemic threat; and acknowledges an estimated US$15 billion annual gap in preparedness financing, the work of the Pandemic Fund, and the limits of a fragmented and under-funded financing system. But, the Friends cautioned, the text contains few concrete, measurable or time-bound commitments. “Pandemic risks are not waiting,” the Friends said.
“A rapidly growing Ebola outbreak, two mpox emergencies since 2022 and an Andes hantavirus outbreak have all required multinational responses. H5N1 is still infecting farm animals and wildlife, and climate change and biodiversity loss are driving new threats. Which political leaders will now step forward to turn that urgency into policy change and investment in countries and regions?”
The group, an informal, time-limited platform co-convened by The Elders, FOUR PAWS, Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and Resilience Action Network International (rani) to secure a strong declaration from the 2026 HLM, is now challenging all Member States to set ambitious, time-bound targets to ensure the world is truly able to prevent, prepare for, and respond to health emergencies.
“It’s almost seven years since COVID-19 emerged and caused worldwide devastation to lives and economies. Action to ensure that this does not happen again is still too slow and not concrete or ambitious enough,” said the Right Honourable Helen Clark, Co-Chair of The Independent Panel, and a member of the Elders, both co-convenors of the Friends.
“Countries can and must do better, and work together with the urgency pandemic threats demand. This means finding a way through the impasse to agree the PABS Annex by May. In the meantime, it is vital to implement provisions of the Pandemic Agreement. Delays will only increase our collective risks.”
The Friends welcomed the decision to review collective progress against the declaration in around two years’ time during the 83rd session of the General Assembly. The co-convenors and members said they will hold countries accountable for real progress against the gaps the declaration lays out, and for bringing the commitments on paper to life.
According to the Friends, progress must include the Pandemic Agreement entering into force, all countries having multisectoral plans for PPPR, successful mechanisms to ensure sustained, sufficient and reliable preparedness and surge financing, and measurable progress on investments in research, development and manufacturing of pandemic and outbreak tools in every region.
The Friends thanked the co-facilitators, Armenia and Rwanda, the President of the General Assembly, the World Health Organization, and all Member States who voted for the declaration.
About the Friends of the PPPR High-Level MeetingFriends 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).The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response continues its work today to realize a world where leaders collaborate and invest to prevent pandemics and protect all people, everywhere.
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