At the 150th session of the Executive Board, in response to comments from Member States, the Director-General undertook to develop proposals, in consultation with Member States, on strengthening the global architecture for health emergency preparedness, response and resilience (HEPR), and present these to the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly.

Architecture in this context refers to all of the systems and capacities, including mechanisms for financing and governance, at national, regional, and global levels that are crucial to the world’s collective ability to prepare for and respond to health emergencies. The proposals presented herein are intended to contribute to the continued deliberations of Member State working groups, and continuing consultations with key stakeholders, including United Nations entities and other multilateral partners.

There have been many expert reviews of the HEPR architecture and the global response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, yielding more than 300 recommendations that have been analysed and discussed through multiple international processes. The quality of contributions to these reviews reflects the depth of thought, expertise, and engagement of a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Maintaining this engagement, and strengthening the links between stakeholders will be a crucial determinant of the success of an agile, responsive and flexible HEPR architecture in the future.