UNGA: PAHO signs up with international efforts to advance pandemic avoidance, readiness and reaction

Washington, D.C., September 16, 2026 (PAHO)–The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) will sign up with worldwide efforts to advance pandemic avoidance, readiness and reaction (PPPR) throughout the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), as nations and partners get ready for the Second High-Level Meeting on PPPR on September 25.

For the Americas, reinforcing pandemic readiness stays crucial as nations continue to deal with emerging and reappearing health risks, while working to construct more resistant health systems and enhance health security.

The General Assembly comes at a turning point for international health, as nations continue to browse continuous health emergency situations, financial pressures, climate-related dangers and decreasing advancement help while working to enhance health systems and safeguard populations from future dangers.

Versus this background, the High-Level Meeting on PPPR will concentrate on how nations can sustain and enhance readiness efforts in a significantly constrained international funding environment.

PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa will take part in a series of top-level occasions throughout UNGA week, highlighting the experience and concerns of the Americas and the significance of continual financial investment, strong health systems and local and global cooperation to reinforce pandemic readiness and international health security.

The 2nd UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response will supply a chance to examine development given that the very first conference in 2023 and restore political dedication to avoid future pandemics through worldwide cooperation. The conversations will happen as nations advance application of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, enhance the International Health Regulations, and pursue other worldwide dedications focused on enhancing pandemic avoidance, readiness and action.

In the Americas, a number of the capabilities required to get ready for future pandemics are the exact same ones nations count on every day to safeguard health, consisting of illness monitoring, lab networks, main healthcare, infection avoidance and control, and resistant health systems.

“Pandemic avoidance and readiness can not be constructed just when an emergency situation takes place. It needs continual financial investment in the health systems, labs, security and public health capabilities that nations require every day,” stated Dr. Barbosa. “The Americas has essential experience to share, consisting of the worth of local cooperation and the significance of reinforcing nationwide capabilities as part of worldwide health security.”

Reinforcing pandemic readiness in the Americas

Pandemics can have extensive and significant repercussions, interfering with health systems, economies and societies and reversing development towards the Sustainable Development Goals. COVID-19 highlighted the requirement for continual financial investment in readiness, worldwide cooperation and fair access to the tools and capabilities required to safeguard populations.

5 years after COVID-19, the world has more powerful tools and structures for avoiding and reacting to health emergency situations, however considerable obstacles stay. Continual political dedication, financial investment in resistant health systems, rely on science and efficient worldwide cooperation stay important to international health security.

The Americas has actually made crucial development in reinforcing its capability to find and react to health dangers. In 2025, PAHO’s local monitoring system evaluated more than 2.1 million signals and found 157 public health occasions, assisting nations determine and react to emerging dangers. The Region has actually likewise broadened genomic and laboratory monitoring and reinforced systems for collaborated emergency situation action.

PAHO is likewise dealing with nations to decrease vulnerabilities in the supply of vaccines, medications and other health innovations. In 2025, the Organization’s Revolving Funds provided 234 million vaccine dosages and 13 million diagnostic tests, reaching an approximated 85 million individuals. At the very same time, local production is broadening, with in your area produced vaccines representing around 26% of procurement volume through the Revolving Funds in 2025, compared to simply 1.5% in 2020.

Dr. Barbosa’s UNGA program

Throughout the week, Dr. Barbosa will take part in essential side occasions:

September 21

Crisis in Preparedness: Laboratories and Frontline Readiness in the Time of Ebola — panel conversation on reinforcing lab abilities for regular health requirements and pandemic readiness, co-hosted by the Mérieux Foundation USA, Weill Cornell Medicine, GHESKIO, the Association for Public Health Laboratories and PAHO.

September 22

2 Regions, One Future: Financing Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Build Global Health Security– local keynote at an occasion arranged by PAHO, Africa CDC, Guyana and Burundi, with assistance from the UN Foundation.International Brain Economy Initiative Summit — keynote on the concern of neurological conditions in the Americas and why brain health need to be a public concern. — keynote on the problem of neurological conditions in the Americas and why brain health need to be a public concern.Devex Impact House and Lilly — fireside chat on speeding up development in worldwide cardiometabolic health. — fireside chat on speeding up development in worldwide cardiometabolic health.The Health System Stress Test: Integrated NCD Care for UHC — panel conversation arranged by the International Society of Nephrology and Devex.United to Beat Malaria — panel conversation on malaria removal in Latin America and the Caribbean, arranged by the UN Foundation and the United to Beat Malaria collaboration.

September 23

Diplomacy Health Forum — session on NCDs and health security.OneSCD: A Global Partnership to Advance Equity and Transform Sickle Cell Care— panel conversation arranged by Nigeria, UNICEF, WHO, Africa CDC, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. — panel conversation arranged by Nigeria, UNICEF, WHO, Africa CDC, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Jamaica.

September 24

Bringing Innovation into Healthcare Systems — session arranged by the International Alliance for Personalised Medicine.

September 25

UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response — international conversations on enhancing pandemic readiness and advancing global cooperation and action.

Media thinking about organizing interviews throughout UNGA week might get in touch with PAHO’s Media Team ([email protected]).

PAHO will continue dealing with nations throughout the Americas and with partners all over the world to reinforce the capabilities required to avoid, find and react to health emergency situations, while assisting make sure that lessons from current crises equate into more powerful readiness, more resistant health systems, and higher health security for all.