Six years after COVID-19’s global alarm: Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic?

February 4, 2026 admin

Six years ago, the Director-General of the World Health Organization sounded the highest global alarm available under international law at the time, declaring the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease (later known as COVID-19) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). While the PHEIC was declared over in May 2023, the impact of COVID-19 remains etched in our collective memory – and continues to be felt worldwide.As we cross this six-year mark, WHO asks countries and partners, just as we ask ourselves: Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic?The answer is yes and no.Yes, in many ways, the world is better prepared because meaningful, concrete steps have been taken to strengthen preparedness. However, at the same time, no, because the progress made is fragile and uneven, and more still needs to be done to keep humanity safe.<h2>Progress since COVID-19</h2>“The pandemic taught all of us many lessons – especially that global threats demand a global response,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told today’s opening of the 158th session of the Executive Board. “Solidarity is the best immunity.”Applying lessons learned from COVID-19, WHO, Member States, and partners have delivered significant advances in pandemic preparedness, prevention and response, including: <ul type="disc"><li>the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted in May 2025, setting out a truly comprehensive approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response that improves both global health security and global health equity.  Its conclusion demonstrated the strength of multilateralism. Members States are now negotiating the Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) system annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement ahead of this year’s World Health Assembly. Its adoption would open the Pandemic Agreement for signature, and entry into force as international law;</li><li>amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) to strengthen national capacities entered into force in September 2025;</li><li>the Pandemic Fund, cofounded and implemented by WHO and the World Bank, has provided grant funding totalling over US$ 1.2 billion in its first three rounds, which has helped catalyse an additional US$ 11 billion that has so far supported 67 projects in 98 countries across 6 regions, to expand surveillance, lab networks, workforce training and multisectoral coordination; </li><li>WHO’s Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence launched a major update of the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system, leveraging AI to support more than 110 countries in identifying and reacting to new threats faster;</li><li>genomic sequencing capacities globally have surged in recent years and through the International Pathogen Surveillance Network, more than 110 countries have strengthened genomic surveillance to track pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential and accelerate preparedness and response actions;</li><li>the WHO BioHub expanded as a trusted global mechanism, supported by 30 countries and territories, coordinating 25 sample shipments to 13 laboratories. Since launching in late 2020, the BioHub has acquired 34 variants of the following viruses: SARS-CoV-2; mpox clades Ia, Ib, IIb; the Oropouche virus; and MERS-CoV. Close to 80 laboratories from 30 countries across all WHO regions have engaged in the system by sharing and requesting biological materials;</li><li>global efforts to expand local, equitable development and production of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments have accelerated through initiatives including the mRNA technology transfer hub in Cape Town, its training centre in Seoul, and the Interim Medical Countermeasures Network;</li><li>the WHO Academy in France will help strengthen capacities in countries for pandemic preparedness, including through simulation trainings;</li><li>the Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing, established by the Republic of Korea and WHO, is boosting workforce capacities in manufacturing high-quality vaccines and biologics. By providing training in this critical field, the aim is to increase equitable access to such products globally through expanded manufacturing capacity in low- and middle-income countries;</li><li>the Global Health Emergency Corps was set up by WHO in 2023 in response to the gaps and challenges identified during the COVID-19 response. The Corps supports countries experiencing public health emergencies by assessing emergency workforce capacities, rapidly deploying surge support, and creating a network of emergency leaders from multiple countries to share best practices and coordinate responses; and</li><li>the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR) continues to help countries identify gaps and strengthen accountability.</li></ul>Other work, which predated the pandemic, continues to strengthen pandemic preparedness, prevention and response: <ul type="disc"><li>a hundred and twenty-one countries now have national public health agencies responsible for their health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience efforts; </li><li>twenty countries completed Joint External Evaluations; 195 States Parties filed annual IHR reports; 22 countries finalized National Action Plans for Health Security;</li><li>the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) processes over 12 million samples worldwide annually for influenza characterization and to update seasonal influenza vaccines and recommend avian influenza viruses for inter-pandemic production; and</li><li>under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework (PIP), WHO signed eight new agreements in 2025, bringing the total to 19 contracts with pandemic products manufacturers. These agreements have secured access to antivirals, diagnostics, syringes and 900+ million vaccine doses for future influenza pandemics.  </li></ul>These are remarkable achievements, reflecting a shared global commitment to work together across national borders, across sectors to never again face a pandemic unprepared and leave anyone behind. WHO Member States have taken decisions that have strengthened the world’s ability not only to respond more rapidly and to mitigate the impact of future pandemics but also to prevent them in the first place.Recent Ebola and Marburg outbreak responses show this progress clearly at national levels with support from WHO. Ebola, a disease that once had no vaccines, no rapid diagnostics, and limited treatment options – leading to catastrophic loss of life in West Africa 10 years ago – has since been transformed. The most recent outbreaks of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Marburg, in Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia, were contained in a fraction of the time, with limited spread and lower case fatality rates. The responses to these outbreaks were led by national institutions, supported by WHO. <h2>But these gains are fragile</h2>The past years have brought profound turbulence to global health. Funding continues to shift away from health toward defence and national security – placing at risk the very systems that were strengthened during COVID-19 to protect countries from future pandemics.This is shortsighted. Pandemics are national security threats.Investing in preparedness is an investment in:<ul type="disc"><li>lives saved</li><li>economies protected</li><li>societies stabilized.</li></ul><h2>A call to action</h2>WHO urges all governments, partners and stakeholders: do not drop the ball on pandemic preparedness and prevention.This week’s WHO Executive Board meeting will be a pivotal moment in this journey, as governments set the course for designing the future of collaboration, accountability and efficiency in who does what in global health.Pathogens don’t respect borders. No country can prevent or manage a pandemic alone.Global health security requires collaboration across sectors, across governments, and across regions.WHO remains committed to working with all countries to strengthen preparedness, accelerate innovation and uphold solidarity. We will continue supporting Member States as they finalize their historic effort to forge a global compact for a world that is safer from pandemics.Preparedness requires continuous vigilance. The time to prepare is now – before the next pandemic strikes.