The UN High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response

Today, HDRI is at the United Nations.

The UN High-level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) opens today, 25 September, at UN Headquarters in New York, and the Human Development Research Initiative is proud to be represented by our delegate,  Peter Choi.

This meeting's theme calls for an intergenerational approach to pandemic governance. We think that commitment should be measured by who is actually in the room, and not by how often young people are mentioned in a declaration.

To mark the occasion, we are publishing our Position Paper, addressed to Member States, UN actors and meeting participants. Our main point is simple. Young people are named in pandemic texts as a vulnerable group, but they are rarely present as decision-makers. The 2023 Political Declaration mentioned youth only once in its operative text, as a population to be protected.

HDRI calls on Member States to move from consultation to representation by:

• Creating dedicated youth seats with voting or formal consultation rights on national PPPR scientific and coordination bodies

• Adding a minimum youth-representation benchmark to this meeting's follow-up and review mechanism

• Providing direct funding for youth-led organisations working on health emergency preparedness

• Building a formal pathway from initiatives like the Global Model WHO into standing roles in WHO structures and national delegations

Taking inspiration from the Youth, Peace and Security agenda (UNSC Resolution 2250)

Youth already have the capacity and the will to engage. What is missing is a formal place at the table.

Read the full position paper below:

With thanks to Renata Freeman and Laura Coburn for preparing the paper.