Health experts from around the world have warned for years that countries, regional bodies, and global institutions must invest more in critical capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to epidemic and pandemic threats. In the wake of each global health emergency, leaders and experts have stressed the need to sustainably invest in and build capacity for health security at the local, regional, and global levels. While the International Health Regulations (IHRs) and Joint External Evaluations (JEEs) encourage capacity building and assess country-level readiness to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to disease threats, these instruments have not been paired with structural support or sustained financing. Given the legacy of panic-and-neglect funding for pandemics and the cross-border nature of these threats, many countries have not prioritized investments in preparedness, leaving the entire world vulnerable to novel disease threats. 

In 2022, global leaders from governments, multilateral institutions, philanthropy, private sector, and civil society must converge to design, launch, and mobilize significant resources for a new Fund for Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness, toward a target capitalization of $10 billion annually — reflecting conservative cost estimates and recommendations of leading global finance and health experts. 

The aim of this brief is to explain what a new fund should do, why the world needs it, and how it can augment and bolster the existing global health ecosystem.

Read the issue brief here.