India stresses resilient health systems, pandemic preparedness at UN

At a UN high-level meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response in New York, India's Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava emphasized the nation's dedication to reinforcing global health security through collaborative efforts. She highlighted the importance of converting the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic into continuous investment, institutional capacity, and resilient health systems.

Speaking at the UN Headquarters on September 25, 2026, Srivastava described India's comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to pandemics across various sectors, encompassing laboratory networks, emergency coordination, healthcare workforce, stockpiles, and clinical care capacity to ensure effective responses to health emergencies.

She noted that these initiatives must be grounded in national health systems, development strategies, and domestic funding, with international support augmenting national efforts.

Srivastava advocated for the acknowledgment of digital public infrastructure as a global public good, citing its crucial role in disease surveillance, vaccination, risk communication, supply chains, and health services continuity during the pandemic. She underscored the significance of unity and equitable access to essential health resources.

India's contribution of 300 million vaccine doses to approximately 100 countries and medical aid to over 150 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic exemplified her nation's commitment to the 'One Earth, One Health' principle and support for the Global South. Srivastava described the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted in May 2025 as a significant milestone, stressing that its credibility would hinge on a fair Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system.

She stressed that countries supplying pathogens and biological resources should receive timely access to vaccines, diagnostics, treatments, technologies, and other benefits, while respecting national sovereignty.

She also called for the implementation of the One Health approach, as applicable, in line with domestic and international laws and national circumstances. On the One Health approach, she urged for its adoption, suitable to each country's domestic and international laws and conditions. She further stressed the role of member states in reviewing, consolidating pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response tools, assessments, and data, emphasizing that these processes should involve member states due to their policy implications.

Concluding her address, Srivastava reiterated that preparedness is a shared responsibility and that equity must remain the cornerstone of efforts to tackle future pandemics and outbreaks. She underscored the necessity of demonstrating global solidarity through action. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the advancements in strengthening the global health security framework since the COVID-19 pandemic, including the WHO Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations, stressing the urgency of finalizing negotiations on the PABS system, warning that delays could impact the world's capacity to respond to forthcoming pandemics.