PANDEMIC PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE ACCORD

PREZODE calls Members States to strengthen the legal text to reflect more this bottom-up approach

The thirteenth meeting of the INB was held from 17–21 February 2025. The opening and closing plenary sessions were open to WHO Member States, Associate Members, Observers and regional economic integration organizations, as well as all relevant stakeholders. On this occasion, PREZODE gave a statement, underlining the necessity to actively involve local stakeholders and communities in the co-development of the national PPR strategies:

“Local stakeholders and communities, as frontline responders, must be actively involved in the co-development of the national PPR strategies. Research performed by PREZODE has shown that top-down measures are often ineffective, as they may not be practical or relevant at the local level. PREZODE calls Members States to strengthen the legal text to reflect more this bottom-up approach in order to enhance its impact. 

Intersectoral collaboration is highlighted as essential for mainstreaming pandemic prevention. Strong institutionalization is important but not sufficient and regular dialogue between stakeholders is necessary for effective implementation. And most importantly, Prevention strategies must align with national health priorities and this could be reflected in the legal text along with national circumstances 

PREZODE is strongly promoting a continuous dialogue between policymakers and scientists to ensure operational actions are based on evidence and address national needs. Leveraging national research capacities through international collaboration especially South to South can strengthen decision-making and global preparedness. This point could be further emphasized in the legal text. 

The legal text acknowledges the need for equity, emphasizing that developing countries require financial support to implement prevention strategies. Indeed, while they are committed to prevention and the One Health (OH) approach, securing financial resources remains a key challenge and essential for sustainable action as it was demonstrated by our research. 

Beyond the agreement adoption, sustained dialogue between Parties is needed to define implementation modalities for pandemic PPR within the OH approach. This ongoing communication is key for coordination, trust-building, and readiness for future crises.”

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