India Reaffirms Commitment to Global Pandemic Preparedness at United Nations Meeting

Representing India at a high-level United Nations meeting held on September 25 in New York on the theme of 'Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response,' Union Health Secretary Mrs. Punya Salila Srivastava reaffirmed the country's commitment to strengthening global health security. She emphasized the need to translate the experiences gained from the COVID-19 pandemic into sustained investment, institutional capacity, and resilient health systems.

During her address at the UN headquarters, Mrs. Srivastava shared India's coordinated vision for dealing with health emergencies. She stated that efforts are being made in India to expand laboratory networks, emergency coordination, the health workforce, stockpiles, and clinical care capacity. She clarified that these efforts should be based on national health systems, development plans, and domestic financing, while international assistance should be viewed as a complement to national responsibility.

Referring to India's role during COVID-19, the Health Secretary noted that India provided 300 million vaccine doses to approximately 100 countries and two UN agencies, and extended medical assistance to over 150 countries. She described this as evidence of India's commitment to the Global South and the principle of "One Earth, One Health." Additionally, recognizing the critical role of digital solutions in surveillance, vaccination, and supply chains, she called for the recognition of digital public infrastructure as a global public good.

Mentioning the WHO pandemic agreement adopted in May 2025, Mrs. Srivastava stated that its success would depend on an equitable system of Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS). She demanded that countries contributing biological resources should have timely access to vaccines, treatments, and technologies while respecting their national sovereignty.

At the meeting, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the progress made in strengthening the global health security framework and expressed the need to complete negotiations on the PABS system soon. Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warned against complacency following COVID-19 and emphasized the importance of community-based systems for the early detection of emerging outbreaks.