A Global Public Health Convention for the 21st Century
To Prevent the Next Pandemic
Infectious diseases with pandemic potential present a grave threat to the health and well-being of human societies with the potential to devastate the world’s economy. The lack of an adequate system to ensure coordination, collaboration, and compliance with international public health security agreements such as the IHR bolsters the need to create a new convention for global public health security that effectively addresses these shortcomings.
Our report, A Global Public Health Convention for the 21st Century: To Prevent the Next Pandemic, provides a detailed report of the University of Miami study published in the Lancet Public Health (Duff et al., 2021).
This study draws upon input from 29 global experts to establish the necessary characteristics for global collective action that could effectively ensure greater international cooperation in infectious disease pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Findings were organized into ten recommendations, which centered around the authorities needed by a global governing body, the characteristics, and capabilities of such an organization, and key components for an effective system including enforcement mechanisms, political independence and sustainable funding, transparency and accountability, and responsibility of stakeholders. These recommendations would significantly improve pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, as well as better equip the world to prevent and mitigate the effects of infectious disease pandemics.
