Increased commitment to preparedness and investment in primary health care and risk monitoring essential to protect world from pandemics and other health emergencies
13 October 2025 — Berlin/Geneva — A new global report launched today outlines preparedness priorities to protect people worldwide from future pandemics and other health crises; it calls for scaled up investment in primary health care, real-time risk assessment, and international cooperation to ensure local and global communities are ready to prevent and respond to the next pandemic.
The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) released its 2025 report, ‘The New Face of Pandemic Preparedness,’ during the World Health Summit held in Berlin. It calls for a transformative shift in pandemic preparedness.
The GPMB, established in 2018 following the West Africa Ebola epidemic, monitors the state of the world’s preparedness for pandemics and other health crises. It is an initiative supported by the World Health Organization and the World Bank.
“In our increasingly volatile and uncertain world, real preparedness for pandemics and other health emergencies must be anchored in well-functioning and well financed primary health care systems,” said Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, GPMB Co-Chair and former President of Croatia. “Robust primary health systems reach deep into communities, providing essential health services in peacetime and building the deep trust that is fundamental to an effective health response when crises strike.”
Five years after the onset of COVID-19, the world is still grappling with its aftermath. Meanwhile, significant technological and geopolitical changes present both opportunities and challenges to global health security. Technological advances in data analytics, the means to develop new vaccines and treatments quickly, and the adoption of a generational Pandemic Agreement are all positive developments. On the other hand, the explosion of misinformation, growing mistrust and divisive geopolitical forces weaken preparedness.
In this context, the GPMB in its latest report urges governments and institutions to adopt a paradigm shift to reset the global health architecture for pandemic preparedness, focusing on 3 actions: care, measure and cooperate.
“Pandemics are multidimensional shocks that demand coordinated, multisectoral responses,” said Joy Phumaphi, GPMB Co-Chair and former Minister of Health of Botswana. “Although there will be other pandemics, they will be different from pandemics of the past, and our preparedness needs to keep up with these changes. We must move beyond fragmented efforts and embrace cooperation and innovation as cornerstones of preparedness.”
A shift in “care” is needed to strengthen frontline systems through investments in primary health care, closer engagement with communities, and a protected health workforce.
In terms of “measurement,” the report calls for the establishment of a comprehensive pandemic risk monitoring system that tracks threats, vulnerabilities and preparedness in real time, integrating health, social, economic and environmental data into clear signals for leaders.
On “cooperation,” the report highlights the importance of a global health architecture based on the principles of solidarity and equity, and encourages the ratification, implementation and financing of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, with a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system, alongside the continued implementation of the strengthened International Health Regulations, to support the timely and fair sharing of samples, data and medical products.
2026 will be a pivotal year for pandemic preparedness. In the lead-up to the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the GPMB will work closely with its co-conveners, the World Health Organization and the World Bank, to ensure these calls for action are implemented and that the HLM agrees concrete steps toward stronger global preparedness.
The 2025 report draws on the GPMB Monitoring Framework, published in 2023 after two years of development and consultation. The framework takes a multisectoral perspective and features 90 indicators grouped into three dimensions: Risk; Prevention, Preparedness and Resilience; and Impact. This year’s report focuses on the Impact dimension, highlighting the need to realign preparedness efforts to meet future challenges.
The 2025 GPMB report is launching today at the 16th World Health Summit in Berlin.
