PRET Initiative: UPSC Daily Important Topic | 30 April 2023

PRET Initiative

✓The Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) Initiative was launched by the WHO and operates under the aegis of the INTERNATIONAL health regulations ( IHR) 2005, which is a critical international legal instrument for managing public health emergencies.

✓The initiative was announced at the Global Meeting for Future Respiratory Pathogen Pandemics held in Geneva, Switzerland.

✓Aim:

It focuses on improving pandemic preparedness for groups of pathogens based on their mode of transmission.

✓Three Tiers of Pandemic Preparedness: It recognizes that there are three tiers of systems and capacities relevant to pandemic preparedness:

those that are cross-cutting for all or multi-hazards

those that are relevant for groups of  pathogens (respiratory, arboviruses etc.)

those that are specific to a pathogen.

✓Coordinating Efforts:

As part of its efforts, the WHO convenes an informal coordination forum known as the Respiratory Pathogens Partners Engagement Forum (R-PEF) which enables WHO and partners to exchange information on planned activities and other developments on planned activities.