GPMB: The next pandemic finds us unprepared

Learning from past mistakes is a golden rule for an individual, a group, a nation... the entire planet. However, this rule is not often followed. Humanity remains unprepared for a potential new health crisis or pandemic, according to an analysis published by a global monitoring organization. The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), which assesses the global readiness for pandemics and other health emergencies, has warned in its report that humanity's ability to cope with a potential new pandemic threat remains inadequate. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank established the GPMB in 2018 in response to the deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa. This organization's purpose is to assess global preparedness and make recommendations. Some progress has been made since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, notes the report, but some countries have scaled back their preparations for a rapid response to similar crises, while few advances have been made in other states.

The organization has put forward several suggestions to improve global preparedness for crisis situations. Countries need to strengthen their monitoring to be able to detect new diseases in their early stages, the report states. Data collection and analytical capacity also need improvement. Financial support and debt rescheduling are required for poorer countries to ensure resources for this purpose.

GPMB co-chair Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, the former president of Croatia, stated that a lack of trust between countries and between citizens and authorities makes it difficult to prepare effectively for a pandemic. "We call on leaders to overcome these divisions and build a new path based on a common recognition that our future safety depends on significant reform and high-level political commitment to health emergency preparedness," said Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

A planned $10 billion fund for pandemic prevention and preparedness needs urgent funding, GPMB notes. Medical research and the development of new medicines should not be concentrated in just a few countries, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Civil society should be more involved in all preparedness efforts.