GENEVA, 18th May 2026 -A decade after Ebola exposed severe gaps in global outbreak management and six years after COVID-19 triggered a global catastrophe, an expert monitoring group has issued a stark warning that the world is not safer from pandemics.
A new report launched today by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) at the 79th World Health Assembly reveals that while infectious disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent and damaging, global investments and cooperation are rapidly falling behind.
It utilized the GPMB Monitoring Framework, evaluating 90 distinct indicators with a specific focus on the long-term societal and economic impacts of global diseases.
The report, titled ‘A World on the Edge: Priorities for a Pandemic‑Resilient Future,’ highlights a dangerous paradox where despite a decade of new preparedness initiatives, global resilience is being actively eroded by geopolitical fragmentation, ecological disruption, and a drop in development assistance to levels not seen since 2009.
The GPMB analyzed a decade of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs) such as Ebola, COVID-19, and mpox, by assessing their long-term impacts on health systems, economies, and societies.
The findings show that on critical measures, the world is moving backward, firstly Worsening Vaccine Inequity. This include Mpox vaccines reached affected low-income countries nearly two years after the outbreak began. This is even slower than the 17-month delay seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Secondly, the Erosion of Democratic Norms which goes beyond health and economic devastation, both Ebola and COVID-19 severely damaged trust in governments, civil liberties, and democratic institutions.
“Politicized responses and attacks on science have left societies deeply polarized.”
Thirdly, while artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies offer massive potential for monitoring pandemic threats, the report warns that without effective governance, AI could actually reduce health security and widen access gaps.
“The real, near-term risk of another pandemic would strike a world more divided, more indebted, and less able to protect its people than it was a decade ago,” GPMB Report.
The board emphasizes that the barriers to a safer world are no longer technical, but political.
“The world does not lack solutions,” said Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, GPMB Co-Chair. “But without trust and equity, those solutions will not reach the people who need them most. Political leaders, industry, and civil society can still change the trajectory of global preparedness, if they turn their commitments into measurable progress before the next crisis strikes.”
Joy Phumaphi, GPMB Co-Chair, echoed the call for urgent collaboration: “If trust and cooperation continue to fracture, every country will be more exposed when the next pandemic strikes. Preparedness is not only a technical challenge, it is a test of political leadership.”
With its mandate concluding in 2026, the GPMB has outlined three concrete actions for world leaders to reverse these dangerous trends to create an independent, permanent monitoring mechanism to continuously track global pandemic risks.
“Advance equitable access to life-saving vaccines, tests, and treatments by finalizing the WHO Pandemic Agreement, and guarantee sustainable funding for both long-term preparedness and immediate “Day Zero” outbreak responses.”
Global leadership will be put to the test immediately as governments work this year to finalise the WHO Pandemic Agreement and secure a meaningful United Nations political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Graphics Courtesy
