If another huge outbreak happens tomorrow, one of the biggest questions the world will grapple with is who will fund what.
The Pandemic Fund was set up in 2022 with a broad mandate, but it’s not designed to provide rapid response funding.
The ongoing discussions in Geneva on the pandemic treaty also include discussions around setting up a new financing mechanism that can provide additional resources to help countries strengthen their capacities for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and “as necessary” for surge response. The Group of Seven major economies has also expressed interest in setting up a surge financing framework — upfront funding that would be activated in case of another pandemic. But these have yet to be finalized.