WHO Marks Six Years Since COVID-19 Emergency Declaration with Global Stocktake

Opening the 158th session of WHO’s Executive Board, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic had underscored a fundamental truth.

Six years after the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the highest global health alarm under international law over the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, the world is safer from pandemics — but far from secure.

As WHO marks the sixth anniversary of the declaration of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the organization is calling on governments and partners to confront a critical question: Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic?

The answer, WHO says, is both yes — and no.

While major advances have been made in preparedness, prevention and response since COVID-19, progress remains uneven and fragile, and is increasingly threatened by shifting political and financial priorities.

Hard-Won Gains Since COVID-19

Opening the 158th session of WHO’s Executive Board, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic had underscored a fundamental truth.

“The pandemic taught all of us many lessons — especially that global threats demand a global response,” Dr Tedros said. “Solidarity is the best immunity.”

Applying lessons from COVID-19, WHO, Member States and partners have delivered significant reforms and investments that have strengthened global health security, including:

• Adoption of the historic WHO Pandemic Agreement in May 2025, establishing the most comprehensive global framework to date for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Negotiations are ongoing on the Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) annex, which is expected to open the Agreement for signature and entry into force as international law.

• Strengthened International Health Regulations, with amendments entering into force in September 2025 to bolster national preparedness capacities.

• Over US$ 1.2 billion disbursed through the Pandemic Fund, co-founded by WHO and the World Bank, catalysing an additional US$ 11 billion and supporting 67 projects in 98 countries across six regions.

• Expanded epidemic intelligence, including an AI-powered upgrade to WHO’s Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system, now supporting more than 110 countries.

• A surge in global genomic surveillance, with over 110 countries strengthening sequencing capacity through the International Pathogen Surveillance Network.

• Expansion of the WHO BioHub, now supported by 30 countries and territories, coordinating the sharing of critical pathogen samples, including SARS-CoV-2, mpox, MERS-CoV and Oropouche virus.

• Accelerated local production of medical countermeasures, including mRNA technology transfer hubs in Cape Town and Seoul.

• New training and workforce initiatives, such as the WHO Academy in France and the Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing in the Republic of Korea.

• Creation of the Global Health Emergency Corps, established in 2023 to deploy surge expertise and strengthen emergency leadership.

• Continued accountability mechanisms, including the Universal Health and Preparedness Review.

These efforts build on longstanding preparedness systems, including national public health agencies now established in 121 countries, expanded Joint External Evaluations, and strengthened influenza surveillance through the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System, which processes more than 12 million samples annually.

Under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework, WHO has also secured access to antivirals, diagnostics, syringes and more than 900 million vaccine doses for future influenza pandemics.

Proof That Preparedness Works

Recent outbreak responses underscore the impact of these investments. Ebola and Marburg outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Ethiopia were contained far more rapidly than past epidemics, with limited spread and significantly lower fatality rates.

“These responses were led by national institutions, supported by WHO,” the organization noted, demonstrating how preparedness translates into lives saved.

But Progress Is Under Threat

Despite these gains, WHO warns that global health preparedness is increasingly at risk as funding shifts toward defence and national security.

“This is shortsighted,” WHO said. “Pandemics are national security threats.”

Underinvestment in preparedness jeopardizes systems built since COVID-19 and risks leaving countries exposed to the next global health emergency.

Investing in preparedness, WHO stressed, is an investment in lives saved, economies protected and societies stabilised.

A Call to Action at a Critical Moment

WHO is urging governments, partners and stakeholders not to lose momentum.

This week’s Executive Board meeting is expected to be pivotal, shaping the future of global collaboration, accountability and efficiency in pandemic preparedness.

“Pathogens don’t respect borders,” WHO said. “No country can prevent or manage a pandemic alone.”

WHO reaffirmed its commitment to working with all Member States to strengthen preparedness, accelerate innovation and uphold solidarity, as countries move toward finalising a historic global compact to make the world safer from pandemics.

“The time to prepare is now — before the next pandemic strikes.”