At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Vice President Jessica Alupo delivered President Yoweri Museveni’s address, emphasizing the need for reforms to make the UN more representative and responsive to contemporary global challenges. Uganda specifically advocated for increased African representation on the UN Security Council, including permanent and non-permanent seats, and called for revisions to international financial institutions to address debt and financing barriers faced by developing nations. Alupo also outlined Uganda’s National Development Plan IV (NDP1V), its regional peace contributions, and its experience in managing outbreaks like Ebola.
Alupo underscored the importance of global health financing, stating that Uganda’s approach to pandemic preparedness is rooted in practical experience. She highlighted the country’s efforts to modernize health infrastructure, expand digital health solutions, and ensure equitable healthcare access under NDP1V. 'Investing in a healthy population remains a strategic priority for Uganda,' she said, noting the plan’s focus on upgrading regional hospitals, training health workers, and integrating technology to improve service delivery and accountability.
Uganda’s advocacy for international financial support is timely, given its recent experiences with infectious disease outbreaks. The nation’s 2026 World Health Organization (WHO) assessment of Ebola preparedness revealed critical gaps, including 55% of 819 high-risk facilities reporting shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and nearly 20% experiencing essential medicine stock-outs. These findings, while not diminishing Uganda’s achievements, underscore the need for sustained investment in preparedness measures such as laboratory maintenance, surveillance training, and stockpiling critical supplies.
The VP called on development partners and multilateral institutions to prioritize predictable financing for pandemic preparedness, rather than relying solely on emergency appeals. 'Preparedness is less dramatic but far more critical,' she argued, citing the importance of maintaining laboratories, training surveillance officers, and conducting simulations to detect outbreaks early. 'The international community can help Africa establish more reliable financing for these functions,' she added, stressing that such investments determine whether an outbreak is contained or allowed to spread.
Alupo also emphasized the need for Africa to transition from being a consumer to a producer of essential health products. She pointed to the World Bank’s support for surveillance, laboratories, and cross-border preparedness during the 2026 Ebola outbreak but urged greater emphasis on local manufacturing of diagnostics, medicines, and protective equipment. 'This would enhance health security, create jobs, and align with Uganda’s industrialization goals,' she said.
Regional cooperation was another key focus. Alupo cited the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, which crossed from the Democratic Republic of Congo into Uganda, as a case for interoperable surveillance systems and shared laboratory data. 'Diseases do not respect political boundaries,' she noted, calling for strengthened border health services and rapid response mechanisms across the continent.
The address also highlighted the importance of equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines during global health emergencies. Alupo urged international partners to support research led by African scientists, addressing diseases that disproportionately affect the continent. 'Africa’s preparedness should not hinge on emergency appeals but on sustained investment in resilient systems,' she concluded.
Uganda’s experience with Ebola, she argued, presents an opportunity for development partners to transform the nation’s public health infrastructure into a model of resilience. 'The question should not be whether Africa can mobilize a response, but how quickly it can detect and contain outbreaks,' she said. 'This requires investing in systems that protect essential health services while preparing for future crises.'
The call for global health financing reform aligns with Uganda’s broader vision of equitable international cooperation. By leveraging its institutional expertise in outbreak management and advocating for predictable funding, the nation seeks to ensure that public health preparedness remains a priority, not an afterthought, in global policy discussions.
Nile Post: 'Museveni’s call for Public Health Financing at 81st UN General Assembly, is the answer to lasting preparedness' (original article)
Nile Post: 'Museveni’s call for Public Health Financing at 81st UN General Assembly, is the answer to lasting preparedness' (original article)