Announced on Monday at the opening of the World Health Summit in Berlin, the strategy sets out priorities for the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, established in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in global disease surveillance.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the summit that the Hub had become an integral part of global health security in the five years since its creation. The new strategy, he said, sets a common goal for governments and partners to respond to health threats before they become major crises.
Five initiatives to improve disease surveillance
The strategy relies on five initiatives covering early warning systems, pathogen monitoring, data analysis and digital infrastructure.
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Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) uses artificial intelligence to scan thousands of publicly available sources in real time for signs of potential health threats. More than 125 WHO member states and 30 regional and international organizations use the system, which has a global network of over 4,000 experts.
The International Pathogen Surveillance Network strengthens genomic sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities to help identify emerging pathogens and accelerate the development of diagnostic tests, treatments and vaccines. The Hub’s Collaboratory connects more than 2,000 experts in modelling and data science who can be mobilized when new threats arise.
Another initiative, the Collaborative Surveillance Initiative, operates in more than 83 countries. It supports national institutions and health workforces in monitoring threats through a One Health approach, which considers the links between human, animal and environmental health.
The fifth initiative will develop secure digital systems that allow countries and partners to share, analyze and use health data while supporting the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
A network spanning 160 countries
Since its establishment in Berlin with initial support from the German government, the Hub has worked with 160 WHO member states, 190 partner organizations and thousands of scientists and policymakers. Its work includes identifying potential outbreaks, sequencing pathogens and helping authorities respond to emerging threats.
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The 2026–2030 strategy sets four main objectives: strengthening surveillance systems, speeding up detection through innovation, improving decisions through data analysis and knowledge sharing, and developing secure digital infrastructure.
WHO said achieving the 2030 target would require sustained investment, reliable partnerships and cooperation across countries, sectors and scientific disciplines.
