Every time the world faces a pandemic, we act surprised. But the truth is, pandemics do not come out of nowhere. They grow out of inequality, and unless we tackle that, we will keep finding ourselves in the same place: scrambling to respond instead of building resilience.
A new report released today, Breaking the inequality–pandemic cycle: building true health security in a global age , spells out what many of us living on the frontlines already know, which is that inequality fuels pandemics. The research, led by the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS and Pandemics, shows that the more unequal a society is, the more vulnerable it becomes to outbreaks. And when pandemics hit, they make those inequalities even worse. It’s a vicious cycle that we have the power to break, but only if we stop thinking that pandemics are just about viruses. They’re about people and their marginalization.
The Global Council on Inequality, co-chaired by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, former Namibian First Lady Monica Geingos, and epidemiologist Sir Michael Marmot, calls for a complete rethink of what “health security” means. For decades, it’s been defined through the lens of military-style preparedness and emergency response. But health security isn’t about how many ventilators you stockpile; it’s about whether people have food, housing, education, and the freedom to access healthcare without fear or discrimination.
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As an LGBTQI advocate, I’ve lived through the consequences of a system that treats some lives as less valuable than others. During the HIV pandemic, our communities were blamed, criminalized, and pushed aside. When COVID-19 hit, history repeated itself, and marginalized people were once again left out of emergency plans. Inequality made us more exposed to infection, less likely to get care and more likely to suffer the long-term fallout.
If we fail to address inequality, no vaccine or border control can keep us safe. Pandemics will keep returning, more disruptive, more deadly, more divisive.
We already know what works. We know that fiscal flexibility, social protection, equitable access to new health technologies, and community-led approaches reduce vulnerability.
What is needed now is decisive action, grounded in these four core principles recommended by the Global Council on Inequalities, AIDS, and Pandemics:
Free countries from the debt chokehold : Countries must have the financial space to respond to pandemics and reduce inequalities. Debt repayments for distressed nations should be paused, and automatic crisis financing made available. Global financial systems must be restructured to avoid forcing austerity during emergencies, giving governments the flexibility to protect their populations.
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Strengthen social foundations : Health starts with basic security: food, housing, safety, and social support. Social protection must be rapidly scaled during crises to shield the most vulnerable. Between pandemics, if we are to invest in education, nutrition, housing, and gender equality, we will build stronger societies capable of weathering the next outbreak.
Treat health technologies as a public good: Access to medicines must be universal. Regional production hubs should be established and funded, while barriers to technology transfer should be removed. Research and development should prioritize public health, ensuring innovation benefits all countries.
Empower communities as leaders: Communities are essential to effective responses. Funding must flow directly to community-led organizations, and they must be included in the planning and governance. Pandemic preparedness and responses work best when governments, civil society, and local networks work in partnership.
The inequality–pandemic cycle is clear. It is visible not only in COVID-19 but across AIDS, TB, Ebola, Mpox, and beyond. The consequences of ignoring it are catastrophic: more deaths, longer outbreaks, and deeper global instability. A world where countries can respond without financial barriers, where medicines reach everyone, and where communities are co-leaders is not only fairer but also safer. This is the future we must build. The actions we take now will determine whether the next pandemic catches us unprepared or whether it finds us resilient, united, and ready.