HDRI at the UN: Pushing for Youth Representation in Pandemic Governance
New York, 25 September 2026
On 25 September 2026, the Human Development Research Initiative (HDRI) took part in the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) at UN Headquarters in New York. HDRI was represented by its delegate, Peter Choi.
The President of the General Assembly convened the meeting under resolution 79/333, three years after the 2023 Political Declaration on PPPR. Its theme committed Member States to “a multilateral and intergenerational approach to prevent, prepare for and respond to pandemics and public health emergencies, through the principles of equity and solidarity.”
HDRI’s message: from consultation to representation
HDRI came to New York with a clear position, set out in its Position Paper. The paper was addressed to Member States, UN actors and meeting participants, and was prepared by Renata Freeman, Publications and Research Director, and Laura Coburn, Research Coordinator of Global Health.
The paper starts from a simple observation. Pandemic governance texts consistently name young people as a vulnerable population, but young people 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 argues that an intergenerational approach should be measured by who is actually in the room where decisions are made, not by how often young people appear in a declaration.
To make that real, HDRI called for:
dedicated youth seats on national PPPR bodies
a minimum youth-representation benchmark in the meeting’s follow-up mechanism
direct funding for youth-led organisations working on health emergency preparedness
a formal pathway from initiatives such as the Global Model WHO into standing roles
These proposals draw on the precedent of the Youth, Peace and Security agenda (UNSC Resolution 2250).
The outcome: a declaration without consensus
The political declaration was meant to be adopted by consensus. Consensus was not reached on 25 September after objections from the United States and several other countries, which sent the text back to the General Assembly. The Assembly later adopted the declaration over the opposition of the United States, Israel and Argentina. pinapina
The non-binding declaration addresses several issues:
It calls for stronger local and regional capacity to research, develop and manufacture health products, aiming for access to affordable vaccines, treatments and diagnostics within the first 100 days of a pandemic threat. pina
It notes an estimated US$15 billion annual gap in preparedness financing. pina
It asks the Secretary-General to report on implementation at the 83rd session, including whether to hold a future high-level meeting. pina
What comes next
The failure to reach consensus shows how fragile multilateral commitment to pandemic preparedness remains. It also strengthens HDRI’s argument: the generation that will live longest with today’s decisions needs a formal place in making them.
The implementation review requested for the 83rd session offers a concrete opportunity. HDRI will keep advocating for youth representation benchmarks to be tracked with the same rigour as financing and surveillance commitments. We stand ready to work with Member States, the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the World Health Organization to build these mechanisms.
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