Union Health Secretary sets out India's position at UN High-Level Meeting on pandemic preparedness
25 September 2026
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava represented India at the UN High-Level Meeting on 'Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response' in New York on 25 September 2026. She called for digital public infrastructure to be recognised as a global public good. She said India supplied 300 million vaccine doses to around 100 countries and two UN entities during COVID-19 and gave medical assistance to over 150 countries. Referring to the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted in May 2025, she said its credibility would depend on a fair Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system. She said the political declaration should not prejudge ongoing negotiations on the PABS annex.
In plain words
PABS Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing — A proposed system under the WHO Pandemic Agreement to share pathogen samples and the vaccines and medicines developed from them.
DPI Digital Public Infrastructure — Shared digital systems such as identity, payments and data platforms that deliver public services at scale.