The Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous socio-economic and ecological impact. In the post-pandemic phase there is much discussion what policy actions are required at several governance levels to prevent, prepare and respond (PPR) to future pandemics. An international pandemic accord, under negotiation at the World Health Organization, should provide the principles for countries on responsibilities, entitlements and cooperation mechanisms. While a ‘One Health approach’ is clearly mentioned in the pandemic accord draft texts, there is at the moment only limited reference to the structural drivers of pandemics. The overshooting of planetary ecological boundaries in relation to climate change and biodiversity leads to a 50% higher chance of infectious disease outbreaks in 2050. This session discussed why returning to, and staying in the social and ecological planetary boundaries is crucial for pandemic prevention. It elaborated on concrete policy actions for German and other respective actors in the PPR domain to include planetary health aims in anticipating future pandemics.

Schedule

Kickstart Inputs:

• Dr. Christoph Strupat (IDOS)
• Dr. Remco van de Pas (CPHP)
• Björn Kümmel (Deputy Head of the Division for Global Health at the Federal Ministry of Health)
• Prof. Dr. Clara Wenham (LSE) (tbc)
• Nithin Ramakrishnan – Third World Network (online)

Panel Discussion