As we learn from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic to better prepare ourselves for future—potentially more deadly—global outbreaks, we are only as strong as the most vulnerable link in the global chain of our defenses. This means that to be effective, preventative actions must be coordinated across borders, equitably, and in good faith.
Building on a 2020 grant to the International Peace Institute (IPI) related to pandemic preparedness, SNF is providing support as part of its Global Health Initiative (GHI) for IPI’s project entitled Peace, Equity, and Health: Advancing Negotiations on a Global Agreement on Pandemics, which seeks to help governments around the world prepare to better prevent and respond to future pandemics by encouraging cross-border alignment.
Though the project’s aims relate to public health, its methods are, by necessity, based in policy, involving diplomacy, leadership development, and international consensus-building. In practical terms, this means research, convenings, simulations, shuttle diplomacy, mediation, options papers, and other engagement with stakeholders.
Ultimately, through the project, IPI hopes to help advance ratification of a global pandemic agreement by the member states of the World Health Organization in the years to come.