By Monica Kayombo,Zambia Lusaka,
The world cannot afford to wait for the next pandemic before strengthening its defences, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark has warned ahead of Friday’s United Nations ( UN) High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR).
Clark, Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and a co-convenor of the Friends of the PPPR High-Level Meeting, said the upcoming meeting presents an opportunity for UN Member States to demonstrate political commitment to preventing future pandemics.
The Friends of the PPPR HLM, in a statement issued on Thursday, urged Member States to support adoption of the Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, which will be considered at the meeting tomorrow (Friday, September 25, 2026).
The group said the declaration, negotiated by Member States over several months, would provide a foundation for collective commitments and action in the years ahead.
The call comes against the backdrop of the devastating human cost of recent outbreaks including Ebola on the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC).
According to the statement, COVID-19 caused at least 22 million excess deaths during the past decade, while the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record has, in the current year, killed about 3,600 people and infected 7,600.
“These figures underline why preparedness cannot be treated as an issue to be addressed only when an outbreak has already become a global emergency,” the Friends said.
Ms Clark said the Political Declaration should represent only the starting point for stronger global action.
“This Political Declaration should be considered the floor, and not the ceiling of what needs to be done to make the world safer from pandemic threats,” she said.
She also pointed to the need for the conclusion, ratification and implementation of the World Health Organisation ( WHO) Pandemic Agreement as part of efforts to strengthen global pandemic preparedness.
“So this Friday, we say: Member States, demonstrate your full-throated support to make the world safer. Given inevitable pandemic threats, how could you choose any other path?” Ms Clark said.
The Friends of the PPPR HLM are calling on countries to uphold the promise of “never again” by making measurable commitments aimed at ensuring that COVID-19 remains the last devastating pandemic.
The group argues that pandemic threats require collective action because infectious diseases do not respect national borders. Preparedness therefore requires countries to work together before emergencies occur, rather than attempting to build systems and mobilise resources after a crisis has begun.
The September 25 meeting is the second UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. Its political declaration is expected to provide a framework for commitments and action by Member States in the years ahead.
However, the Friends noted that the process surrounding the declaration will differ from the traditional procedure for High-Level Meeting political declarations.
Normally, a negotiated political declaration is tabled during the opening session by the President of the General Assembly, after which Member States agree to endorse it for formal adoption at a regular meeting of the Assembly.
For Friday’s meeting, the outcome document will instead be considered during the closing session.
The Friends of the PPPR HLM said Member States should use the opportunity to send a strong political signal that pandemic prevention, preparedness and response remains a shared global responsibility.
The platform is an informal, time-limited grouping of organisations working to advance pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with a particular focus on securing a strong political declaration containing measurable commitments from the 2026 High-Level Meeting.
It is co-convened by The Elders, FOUR PAWS, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and Resilience Action Network International.
As countries prepare to meet in New York, the message from the Friends is clear: the next pandemic will not wait for the world to become ready. Preparedness has to happen before the next outbreak becomes the next global emergency.
