Last month, the World Health Organization declared that the public health emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic was over. While this was certainly welcome news, the global failure to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 has vividly demonstrated the hefty price of neglect.
The high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, or PPPR, at the U.N. General Assembly in September will be a watershed moment for global health security that we cannot waste. We must aim to build a common approach to delivering equity in access and outcomes for PPPR, focus on a “One Health” approach, and address preparedness financing.
Without timely action to address gaps in global preparedness, the next pandemic is inevitable and might be even more devastating than COVID-19.
About the author
Joy Phumaphi
Ms. Joy Phumaphi is the executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, a groundbreaking coalition of African Union heads of state and government working to eliminate malaria in Africa by 2030. She leads the ALMA Secretariat in supporting the heads of state and government’s agenda to drive accountability and action for results, public and private domestic resource mobilization for malaria, neglected tropical diseases, and other priorities in Africa’s health development agenda. She also chairs the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.
