The December 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit is a critical opportunity to deepen collaboration between the U.S. and Africa and deliver significant results. As the pandemic enters its fourth year, it continues to set back progress on health, development, climate change, food security, and poverty reduction goals and hamper the world’s ability to tackle other global crises. Pandemic Action Network and more than 40 partners have come together to call on U.S. and African leaders to elevate and sustain pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) as a top cooperation and investment priority.

At the Summit, we call on leaders to act on the following:

• Financing. Commit to securing sustainable financing to accelerate crucial investments in PPR across sectors, including mobilizing political and financial support for the Pandemic Fund.

• Health security cooperation. Ensure a coordinated, coherent, and collaborative approach to strengthen health security at the national, regional, and continental levels.

• Equal access and R&D. Support and invest in health research and development (R&D) in Africa and expand access to lifesaving tools. 

• One Health. Prioritize a One Health approach that considers humans, animals, and ecosystems to address emerging health threats.

• Pandemic Leadership and Accountability: Ensure inclusive mechanisms to drive political will and accountability for action.

Read our joint letter to U.S. and African leaders. We urge them to seize this moment to commit to bold and essential actions to address the impacts of COVID-19, reclaim pre-pandemic health and development gains, and help prevent another deadly and costly pandemic from happening again.