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Excellencies, colleagues, friends,

I am sorry I cannot be with you today. 

I serve as Chair of The Elders, an organisation founded by Nelson Mandela to promote peace, justice, human rights, and a sustainable planet.

We have gathered at a critical inflection point – not only for global health security, but for the broader multilateral system.

This year’s adoption of the Pandemic Agreement is an important milestone. It reminds us that even in a fragmented world, when leaders come together with urgency and shared responsibility, progress is possible. But the real work begins now: translating that agreement into concrete benefits for people everywhere.

That will not happen unless we confront the deeper fractures threatening our ability to act collectively.

Across the world, we are seeing the deadly consequences of pandemics, conflicts, climate shocks, and economic disruptions. These crises are not constrained by national borders – yet our responses too often are.

In many countries, pandemic preparedness efforts are buckling under the weight of foreign aid cuts and overburdened health systems. Diseases we know how to prevent – like measles and tuberculosis – are resurging for the first time in years.

Meanwhile, multilateralism is under siege. The same institutions that responded to COVID-19 are now facing reduced funding and politicised attacks.

This is dangerous. We cannot strengthen global health security without restoring global cooperation. And we cannot restore global cooperation unless we are willing to listen.

What does this mean in practice?

First, we must protect the gains we’ve made. That includes defending the WHO as the central pillar of the global health architecture. With rising geopolitical tensions, it is more important than ever that regional actors, emerging economies, and civil society step up.

Second, we must shift from rhetoric to action on equity. The Pandemic Agreement includes important commitments on access, but those must be backed by investment and accountable governance. The ongoing negotiations for a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism will be the key to ensuring that lifesaving tools and vaccines reach communities who need them most. 

Finally, we must recognise the converging nature of today’s threats. Pandemics do not occur in a vacuum. They are fuelled by deforestation, displacement and disinformation. Future resilience will depend on our ability to integrate across sectors in a way that supports the lives and livelihoods of all people.

Let me end with this. During the Colombian peace process, we faced many moments where division and distrust threatened to derail everything. But we made progress because we chose to listen. We chose to act with principle, and we chose to put the future ahead of the past.

We must make the same choices now – for the sake of global health security, and for the generations to come.

Thank you.