Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar, professor of infectious diseases at the University College London, issued this warning at a recent meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York.
It is not a matter of yes, but when, and Dr. Abubakar believes that the answer is before what nobody wants in part because the global health system remains drastically isolated.
This is a problem because, intrinsically, a pandemic cannot be stopped by a single country.
“Infectious diseases will not respect borders. Therefore, health systems to guarantee equity, dignity and universal access must also be agile to implement policies through borders,” said Dr. Abubakar.
Rather, stop pandemics, and promote broader global development, requires solid associations and investments consisting of multilateral systems as a practice, not just an ideal.
“If we want to comply with the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda, we must reinvent cooperation, not as a transactional action but as a dynamic, inclusive and ready for the future association,” Lok Bahadur Thapa, Vice President of Ecosoc said.
An objective to unite all objectives
The High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development is becoming the UN Headquarters in New York to discuss progress, or the lack of it, towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed worldwide (SDGs).
The first 16 SDG deal with specific aspects of development, such as poverty, gender equality and climate change, but 17 presents a path to reach others. And this path lies in adopting global associations between state governments, civil society organizations, communities and the private sector.
However, with an annual financing gap for the SDGs that exceeds $ 4 billion, today’s associations are not enough to carry out the objectives for tomorrow.
“We must forge truly transformative associations that break the traditional silos: governments, civil society, the private sector and multilateral institutions have roles to perform in an inclusive coalition for sustainable development,” said Dima Al-Khatib, director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (AESSC) in an HLPF event.
Prioritize prevention, not the reaction
At this time, the current health system, which includes the preparation of the pandemic, is aimed at stopping health emergencies once they emerge instead of preventing them proactively, according to Dr. Abubakar.
Member States recently adopted a Pandemic prevention treaty that strives to do exactly this, limits the probability of future pandemics.
But for many, this emphasis on prevention extends beyond pandemics to issues such as rehabilitation and primary care services, which experts say they are critical investments not only in human well -being but also in peace and security.
In addition, these types of preventive medicine are cheaper than reactive medicine, according to Mandeep Dhaliwal, health director of the UN Development Program (UNDP).
“It is important to invest in prevention as much as in treatment, and it is more profitable because … you are turning off the tap,” Dhaliwal said.
However, convincing investors to support preventive attention can be difficult because, when they are carried out correctly, tangible results are not necessarily visible.
Health is in each system
However, investing in preventive medicine such as primary care and socio -economic determinants of health, such as climate and nutrition, can help ensure that health systems support people holistically before a crisis begins.
“Health is not a silo … The factors that influence health are often outside the health sector,” Dhaliwal said, citing the example of air pollution, which is a climate problem that inherently influences health.
This type of holistic investment requires solid associations that work to ensure that each initiative, regardless of how apparently distanced, considers health implications.
“We have treated too often [health] As a subsequent problem, something that improves only if other systems are working. But now we understand that health and well -being are not simply the result of good developments. It is the starting point, “said Tony Ott, a professor of agricultural sciences at the State University of Pennsylvania.
The weak link in the health system
Migrants and displaced persons tend to be among the least prone to have access to preventive medicine and, often, those most affected by social health determinants.
“Migration and displacement, either driven by conflict, climate change or economic factors, are defining factors in terms of our health,” he said.
At the end of 2024, 123.2 million people were displaced by force worldwide, a decade number that shows that in the 10 years after the SDGs were adopted, the world has retreated in relation to displacements.
For Dr. Abubakar, these displaced people, and the most volunteer millions, embody why the health system simply cannot continue with the silo and, on the other hand, must adopt cross -border associations.
“Health systems must guarantee access to essential services, regardless of the state of immigration … Any community without access is that weak link that can mean that we are not all protected,” said Dr. Abubakar, referring to the next pandemic.
Communities in the center
The idea of associations as fundamental to achieve the SDGs is logical for many people. After all, the objectives are universal in nature and demand global collaboration.
But this collaboration, especially for health, must do more than to involve experts: they must involve people looking for medical attention. Dr. Abubakar said that all health policies must be culturally appropriate for local contexts, something that can only happen if communities are placed at the Center for Medical Care.
“The new future that I see would adopt the global association, including countries, regardless of the level of income, the public and private sector, the academic and civil society. And within this framework, the communities must be in the center … not only as recipients but also as cooperators of solutions.”
