This commentary was first published by AllAfrica on 5 November 2026, https://allafrica.com/stories/202611050568.html
For many people, COVID-19 may feel like a distant memory. COVID-19 claimed millions of lives around the world, including approximately 50 000 in the Netherlands. The lesson remains clear: preparedness is not optional.
Preventing health crises abroad is in the interests of all countries, including the Netherlands. Governments everywhere face competing priorities and constrained budgets. But infectious diseases do not respect national borders. In an interconnected world, health threats that emerge in one place can quickly become risks for everyone. No country can safeguard its health security alone.
That lesson is evident today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a major Ebola outbreak is unfolding in a region already affected by insecurity, displacement and limited access to health services. The outbreak has already crossed borders, underlining how quickly a health threat in one country can become a shared international concern.
Responding effectively requires rapid action, strong local leadership and international solidarity. Under the DRC Government’s leadership, WHO is working closely with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, local authorities, communities and partners to contain the outbreak in the DRC and save lives.
To support these efforts, the Netherlands is providing €7 million to WHO for the Ebola response. But responding to outbreaks requires more than emergency funding alone. It requires flexible, predictable financing that can be directed rapidly to where needs are greatest. That is why the Netherlands is also providing a new €10 million flexible contribution to WHO for future emergencies, enabling WHO to rapidly respond to health threats while helping countries strengthen preparedness and prevent future outbreaks whenever possible. This is additional to the existing €9.6 million yearly core funding to WHO.
Some may ask why the Netherlands, or any country, should invest in health emergencies far from its own borders when domestic health systems also face challenges. The answer is simple: diseases do not stop at borders. Supporting countries to detect and contain outbreaks early is not only the right thing to do. It protects local populations while reducing the risk of wider international spread. Investing in health security abroad is also an investment in health security at home.
Outbreaks are most effectively controlled at their source. That is why local leadership is essential. National authorities understand their communities, their health systems and the challenges they face. WHO's role is to support those efforts, coordinate international expertise and ensure that countries have access to the tools, funding and technical assistance they need.
International cooperation remains the foundation of effective health security. This year, for example, a hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch-flagged cruise ship was swiftly contained through rapid collaboration among countries and partners coordinated through WHO. During an earlier outbreak caused by the “Sudan virus” species of Ebola in Uganda, investments that helped advance an Ebola vaccine developed by IAVI and Batavia Biosciences contributed to global preparedness efforts. These examples demonstrate that cooperation works.
Yet this progress cannot be taken for granted. The international health system is under growing strain, even as health threats continue to increase. Climate change is altering the distribution of infectious diseases. Europe has already seen growing concern from vector-borne diseases, including West Nile virus, while other diseases such as dengue and malaria are expanding into new regions. At the same time, funding for global health, including for WHO, is declining.
This is a dangerous combination. The need for cooperation, preparedness and rapid response is growing, just as the resources required to sustain them are coming under pressure.
We therefore call on European governments to strengthen their support for global health security by increasing flexible and unearmarked contributions to WHO. Such investments enable outbreaks to be detected earlier, contained more rapidly and addressed where they begin, before they become larger regional or global crises.
No one can rule out the possibility of another pandemic. But we can ensure that we are better prepared for the next one. Strong health systems in the DRC, and in countries everywhere, are not only vital for the local communities. They are an investment in a safer, healthier and more secure future for us all.