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

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.Progress since COVID-19“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: 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;amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) to strengthen national capacities entered into force in September 2025;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; 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;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;the WHO BioHub expanded as a trusted