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During the 78 General Assembly, the United Nations adopted the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. Ahead of this meeting, PREZODE was represented at various events raising more ambitious measures on this issue. With Pandemic Action Network, PREZODE, along with more than 100 organizations signed a call to action urging global leaders and ministers to commit to an agenda for action over the next year to prevent the next deadly pandemic. crisis and then report progress at 2024 UNGA. Aggrey Aluso, Africa Director of the Pandemic Action Network, presented a statement to the High-level Meeting on September 20, 2023.

Invited by France, Four Paws, PPATS, and PREZODE, several government representatives (Canada, Norway, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic) met during a high-level side event to build on the intentions of the political declaration, discuss what it will take to realize its promises into action and what governments will need to succeed in preventing future pandemics. The attendees reiterated their support for One Health as well as their commitment to advocate for funding national plans on One Health within the Pandemic Fund. Governments stated the importance of working together to ensure that a One Health approach to pandemic prevention is captured and supported in the pandemic instrument. Neil Vora, a Member of the PREZODE Steering Committee, underlined that this High-Level Summit “drew attention to the undeniable threats posed by pandemics. The horrors we recently experienced from COVID are a result of underinvestment in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. We cannot afford for the lessons we learned to be forgotten. I hope that world leaders will make firm commitments to more comprehensively address pandemics in follow-up to the Summit.”