Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava represented India at the UN High-Level Meeting on 'Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response' in New York on September 25, 2026, reaffirming the nation's commitment to strengthening global health security through international cooperation. She emphasized the need to translate COVID-19 pandemic lessons into sustained investment, institutional capacity, and resilient health systems.
Srivastava outlined India's coordinated approach to pandemic prevention and response across government and society, covering a wide range of potential health emergencies. The country has expanded laboratory networks, emergency coordination, health workforce, stockpiles, and clinical care capacity to ensure effective response systems. These efforts are rooted in national health systems, development plans, and domestic financing, with international assistance complementing national responsibility.
Drawing on India's COVID-19 experience, Srivastava called for digital public infrastructure to be recognized as a global public good, noting digital solutions played crucial roles in surveillance, vaccination, risk communication, supply chains, and health service continuity during the pandemic. She underscored the importance of solidarity and fair access to essential health products, highlighting that India supplied 300 million vaccine doses to approximately 100 countries and two UN entities while providing medical assistance to over 150 countries during the pandemic.
Regarding the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted in May 2025, Srivastava described it as an important milestone whose credibility depends on a fair Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system. She stated that countries contributing pathogens and biological resources must receive timely access to vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, technologies, and other benefits while respecting national sovereignty. The political declaration should not prejudge ongoing PABS annex negotiations and should be implemented according to national circumstances and capacities.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted progress in strengthening global health security architecture since COVID-19, including the WHO Pandemic Agreement and amendments to International Health Regulations. He stressed the urgency of concluding PABS system negotiations, warning that delays could affect future pandemic response capabilities. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed cautioned against post-COVID complacency and emphasized community-based systems for early detection, surveillance, and communication.