President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has called for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response to be treated as a sustained economic, development and security priority.

He stressed that the responsibility cannot rest on health systems alone.

The president made the call on Tuesday during a high-level dialogue held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Themed “Two Regions, One Future: Financing Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Build Global Health Security,” the event was coordinated by Guyana, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the UN Foundation.

President Ali said effective pandemic management requires a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach that addresses vulnerabilities across societies and economies.

He urged countries to prepare proactively for emergencies by strengthening laboratories and hospitals, building human capacity, and ensuring trained personnel and critical systems are in place.

“While we cannot prevent every outbreak, we can prevent an outbreak from becoming a catastrophe,” the President said.

He also called for greater collaboration among governments, using technology and scientific capabilities to build cross-border capacity, pool investments and manufacture life-saving medicines closer to home.