United Nations member states have been urged to commit an additional $15 billion annually to global pandemic prevention and preparedness as negotiations continue ahead of a high level UN meeting in September.
The call came from the Friends of the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response High Level Meeting, a coalition advocating a stronger international political declaration on future health emergencies.
The group warned that a new pandemic threat could emerge anywhere and spread internationally within days.
It said no country could protect its own population effectively if other countries lacked basic surveillance, prevention and response systems.
The coalition wants the 2026 political declaration to preserve and strengthen commitments made during and after the COVID 19 pandemic.
It cited the 2021 G20 Rome Declaration, which supported collective action, adequate financing and more equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, treatments and other medical countermeasures.
The financing proposal is based on recommendations by an independent panel commissioned by the G20, which estimated that international spending on pandemic prevention and preparedness needed to rise by about $15 billion each year.
Low and middle income countries were also encouraged to strengthen domestic health financing, including through additional public spending where possible.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, a co chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, said the central question was whether the new declaration would make the promise of avoiding another COVID scale failure credible.
The group also urged governments to preserve commitments on technology transfer, regional manufacturing and access to lifesaving medical products.
It warned against weakening existing provisions allowing countries to use public health flexibilities under international intellectual property rules.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was cited as a reminder that health threats continue to emerge while negotiations are taking place.
The group said every region needed the financing and technical capability to detect outbreaks rapidly and produce essential vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics when needed.
Advocates said pandemic preparedness required sustained investment before a crisis rather than emergency financing only after an outbreak had already spread.
