Pandemic Prevention and Global Policy in Geneva

In late May, Dahdaleh faculty fellow Tarra Penney and Dahdaleh research fellow Chloe Clifford Astbury travelled to Geneva to attend the Geneva Health Forum and Geneva Health Week, which ran in parallel with the 77th World Health Assembly.

The Geneva Health Forum brings together policymakers, academics, civil society and private sector representatives from all over the world to discuss and address our biggest global health challenges. Meanwhile, Geneva Health Week is hosted by the Global Health Centre of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and provides a platform to discuss critical global health issues to raise awareness among a range of audiences, particularly member states attending World Health Assembly meetings. Both events aim to shape global policy discourse and build on the momentum garnered by the World Health Assembly. While the city was full of enthusiasm, there was also evidence of pushback, including advertising proclaiming: “NO to the pandemic treaty”.

As part of Geneva Health Week, Chloe shared some key findings and insights from a multi-country research project, Evaluating the Governance of Emergent Pandemic Zoonoses, focused on generating evidence to inform prevention of the next pandemic. The panel discussion “One Health and Pandemic Prevention in Practice: Is the Global South Leading Innovation?” (event recording and information available here) was moderated by Nina Jamal of the animal welfare organisation Four Paws International. Fellow panellists included Arlette Dinde of the Swiss Centre for Scientific Research in Côte d’Ivoire and CGIAR, and Benjamin Roche of PREZODE.

The discussion focused on the need for a One Health approach for effective pandemic prevention, and the importance of context-specific evidence and action in designing global policy. The ongoing negotiations around a proposed pandemic agreement were also raised, and panellists discussed specific questions raised by member states such as the need to involve communities in pandemic prevention, and pragmatic approaches to surveillance in complex social and ecological systems.

The hybrid event attracted 187 attendees representing 38 countries, and involved rich and dynamic discussions between panellists and the audience.

The CIHR-funded project Evaluating the Governance of Emergent Pandemic Zoonoses is led by Dahdaleh faculty fellows Tarra Penney and Mary Wiktorowicz. The collaborative multi-country team includes Adrian Viens, Shital Desai, Cary Wu, Kirsten Lee and Chloe Clifford Astbury of York University; Mala Ali Mapatano and Marc K. Yambayamba of the University of Kinshasa; and Chelsea Togño and the late Marilen Balolong of the University of the Philippines Manila.

Additional information on the project team and outputs, including a high-level summary, can be found on the project website.

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