Turning crisis into opportunity: sustaining COVID-19 gains in resource-constrained and fragile settings
### Summary box In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussions on strengthening global and national pandemic preparedness have reopened. In September 2023, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly hosted a meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response, at which heads of government issued a political declaration for safeguarding against future pandemic risks. The prevailing sentiment on preparedness was gloomy. Indeed, a recent report highlights ‘significant weaknesses or declining capacities in several critical areas of preparedness’.1 At the heart of these deliberations lies a global consensus that forthcoming preparedness plans must prioritise equity and inclusivity: global health security will only be achieved when our most vulnerable nations are also adequately prepared. In September the same year, another UN meeting was convened on universal health coverage (UHC), hoping to reinvigorate the process to deliver health for all, and in October a political declarati