Beyond Panic and Neglect: The Role of Health Systems in Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response

As global leaders gather for the 81st United Nations General Assembly and the High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR), Africa CDC and MSH will convene senior decision-makers to examine the clearest lesson from recent health emergencies: lasting preparedness depends on strong national institutions, resilient primary health care, and communities equipped to act. Aligned with the UN theme of fostering a multilateral and intergenerational approach to health emergencies, the event will focus on turning global commitments into country-led action.

Anchored in Africa CDC’s Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, particularly its focus on institutionalizing PPPR, the conversation will explore how African countries can move beyond cycles of panic and neglect toward sustained readiness. Priorities will include empowered communities, a protected health workforce, integrated surveillance and laboratory systems, secure supply chains, interoperable digital systems, and more predictable financing.

The ongoing outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda makes this conversation especially urgent. Insecurity, population mobility, workforce and logistics constraints, and limited access to real-time information can impede detection and response. The outbreak underscores the need to invest before crises occur in connected, continuously functioning health systems that can protect communities and respond quickly when new threats emerge.

The event will focus on practical steps governments and partners can take to translate global commitments into stronger institutions, sustained investments, and country-led preparedness.

Thursday, September 24, 2026
12:00-2:00 pm
New York City, USA

A networking reception will follow the discussion.
In-Person Only