ADB Urges Asia‑Pacific to Strengthen Pandemic Preparedness Before Next Health Crisis

 PHNOM PENH, July 6, 2026 (KPT) — The Asian Development Bank has urged countries across Asia and the Pacific to step up pandemic preparedness, warning that the region risks facing another major health crisis without being significantly better prepared than it was during COVID‑19.

In a new report, the ADB said governments should invest in stronger health systems, deepen regional cooperation and establish rapid emergency financing mechanisms to better respond to future outbreaks.

More than six years after the COVID‑19 pandemic, many countries continue to grapple with its lasting health, economic and social impacts. Health systems remain under pressure from shortages of skilled workers and disrupted services, while governments face rising debt, fiscal constraints and competing spending priorities. Economic instability, declining development assistance and tighter public budgets are further weakening countries’ ability to prepare.

“Against this backdrop, there is a growing risk that the region could be hit by a new pandemic and be no better prepared than it was for COVID‑19,” the ADB said, noting that future outbreaks could be equally devastating, particularly in countries where access to essential healthcare remains limited.

Drawing on lessons from COVID‑19, the report identified three priorities: integrating pandemic preparedness into national health policies and budgets, expanding regional cooperation, and ensuring rapid access to emergency financing. Preparedness should become a permanent component of health planning rather than a one‑off emergency response, it said.

The ADB called on development partners, particularly multilateral development banks, to align loans, grants and technical assistance with long‑term investments in health security and universal health coverage. Resilient health systems are essential not only for protecting lives but also for safeguarding economic stability, the report stressed. Strong systems are better equipped to maintain essential services, detect outbreaks early and respond quickly during emergencies.

Regional cooperation was highlighted as increasingly important as infectious diseases spread rapidly across borders. The report called for stronger collaboration on disease surveillance, data sharing, medical regulation and vaccine manufacturing to improve access to vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools.

During COVID‑19, fragmented procurement systems, regulatory delays and limited manufacturing capacity slowed vaccine distribution. The ADB noted that initiatives such as the Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX) helped deliver more than 675 million doses, showing how multilateral financing and regional partnerships can accelerate emergency responses.

It also encouraged greater private‑sector participation in financing health systems to strengthen their capacity to respond to sudden surges in demand. Looking beyond pandemics, the ADB said preparedness should form part of a broader resilience agenda as Asia and the Pacific face increasingly interconnected challenges, including trade disruptions, natural disasters and energy crises.

“Countries across the region cannot afford to move from one emergency to the next without building stronger, more resilient systems in between,” the report said.

The report further emphasized the importance of predictable and flexible financing, recommending that governments establish “day‑zero” emergency funds that can be immediately deployed to purchase medical supplies, hire emergency personnel and maintain essential services at the onset of a health crisis.