The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the world is facing growing pandemic threats, saying global investments in preparedness are failing to keep pace with increasingly frequent and severe disease outbreaks.
In a statement released on Monday, experts monitoring global preparedness said infectious disease outbreaks were becoming more common and more damaging, with widening health, economic, political and social consequences weakening countries’ ability to recover from major emergencies.
The statement noted that a decade after the Ebola outbreak exposed serious gaps in global preparedness — and six years after COVID-19 turned those weaknesses into a worldwide catastrophe — evidence still points to significant international vulnerability.
According to the WHO, a new report by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), titled “A World on the Edge: Priorities for a Pandemic-Resilient Future,” found that infectious disease outbreaks are increasing in frequency, severity and impact across the world.
The report said outbreaks were placing mounting pressure on health systems, economies and societies, while many countries lacked the resilience needed to recover effectively from major public health emergencies.
Despite investments made over the past decade, the board warned that preparedness efforts were not keeping pace with rising pandemic risks.
“New initiatives have improved aspects of preparedness, but overall these efforts are being offset by the growing effects of rising geopolitical fragmentation, ecological disruption, and global travel.
“The report analyses a decade of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), from Ebola in West Africa to COVID-19 to mpox, assessing their impacts on health systems, economies and societies,” the statement said.
The report further noted that the world was regressing in ensuring equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines and treatments despite repeated international commitments.
According to the findings, mpox vaccines reached affected low-income countries almost two years after the outbreaks began — slower than the 17 months it took COVID-19 vaccines to reach vulnerable populations globally.
“The escalating toll of such emergencies extends far beyond health and economic impacts: both Ebola and COVID-19 damaged trust in government, civil liberties and democratic norms.
“Amplified by politicised responses, attacks on scientific institutions and polarisation that have outlasted the crises, leaving societies less resilient to the next emergency,” the statement added.
The report warned that the near-term risk of another pandemic would strike a world that is more divided and financially strained than it was a decade ago, leaving countries less capable of protecting their populations.
It stressed that all nations could face even greater health, social and economic consequences if governments fail to strengthen preparedness systems and international cooperation against emerging threats.
While highlighting the potential of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in improving pandemic monitoring and preparedness, the report cautioned that poor governance could worsen health security and access inequalities.
GPMB Co-Chair, Mrs Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, said the world already possessed practical solutions for improving preparedness and coordinating responses to future pandemics.
“But without trust and equity, those solutions will not reach the people who need them most,” Grabar-Kitarovic said.
“Political leaders, industry and civil society can still change the trajectory of global preparedness if they turn their commitments into measurable progress before the next crisis strikes,” she added.
She said the GPMB, whose mandate ends in 2026, had identified three key priorities for political leaders, including the establishment of independent monitoring systems to consistently track and assess global pandemic risks.
According to her, leaders must also ensure equitable access to vaccines, tests and treatments through the Pandemic Agreement, while securing sustainable funding for preparedness programmes and emergency “Day Zero” responses.
Another GPMB Co-Chair, Dr Joy Phumaphi, warned that weakening international trust and cooperation would leave every country more vulnerable when the next major pandemic emerges.
“Preparedness is not only a technical challenge, it is a test of political leadership,” Phumaphi stated.
“The report concludes by highlighting that leadership will be tested this year, as governments work to finalise the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” she added.
Phumaphi said governments were also expected to adopt a meaningful United Nations political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response during international negotiations scheduled for 2026.
She added that the 2026 GPMB report would be launched on May 18 during the 79th World Health Assembly, where world leaders are expected to review progress on global preparedness and response efforts.
