“A celebration and a handover”: The Final PREPARED Conference on Promoting Equitable Science During Crisis
As the final weeks of the PREPARED project are fast approaching, we are sharing with you a glimpse of the most important moments of the final PREPARED Conference ‘Promoting Equitable Science During Crisis’, which took place on 3 June 2025, at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. This was the second time the PREPARED Consortium was hosted by […]
Actioning Preparedness: The EU’s Strategy for a secure and resilient future
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the series of other ongoing crises, ‘preparedness’ has become a buzzword in EU policy-making, eventually leading to a joint communication on the European Preparedness Union Strategy in late March 2025. The strategy’s aim is to establish a ‘secure and resilient EU’ through a series of policies that aim at preserving vital societal functions under any […]
Introducing the PREPARED Seesaw app: a new way to explore pandemic dilemmas
A striking characteristic of the Covid-19 pandemic was the polarisation of the public in relation to public health responses. To help the public understand the complexities of difficult decisions which impact different groups in different ways, we have developed an innovative public engagement app: the PREPARED Seesaw. Users of the PREPARED Seesaw experience making a decision, related […]
Still a gap – Remembering Dr Vasantha Muthuswamy
Two years ago, on 21 February 2023, we lost our PREPARED team member Dr Vasantha Muthuswamy. The Indian Mother of Bioethics and former Senior Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) played an unprecedented role in formulating medical ethics guidelines in India. She was responsible for the release of the main […]
Beyond the Rhetoric: Turning Words into Action for a Sustainable Future
The world stands at a precipice, grappling with a multitude of interrelated crises that threaten our collective future. From the ongoing conflicts that scar humanity to the alarming failure to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the challenges are both profound and interconnected. The stark reality is that the most vulnerable populations, those who have […]
How did healthcare workers experience the COVID-19 pandemic?
Cover image: Helena Jankovičová Kováčová on pexels From the beginning, the PREPARED project aimed to capture the first-hand experiences of frontline workers. The tapestry of their experiences actively informs our guidance to create a proactive pandemic response framework that protects everyone including the most vulnerable. The experiences of frontline workers were seen as a key […]
PREPARED comments integrated into the Declaration of Helsinki 2024
On 19 October 2024, the new version of the Declaration of Helsinki was released. In June 2024, the PREPARED project submitted written comments, which have been taken on board by the World Medical Association (WMA) Working Group who developed and revised the Declaration. The Declaration was first issued in 1964 and is now one of the most influential […]
Meet Iddah Akinyi – the PREPARED filmmaker from Nairobi
Iddah Akinyi is a Nairobi-based photographer and filmmaker, blending a background in Communication and Journalism with a profound commitment to visual storytelling. Her artistic journey has garnered accolades including recognition in the ILGA World Photo Contest and achieving Top 50 finalist status in the Agora Awards. Passionate about using her craft for advocacy, Iddah illuminates narratives that […]
Mpox – how a neglected epidemic became a public health emergency
Cover image: DRC: Mpox in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 2024. © World Health Organisation / Katson Maliro, 2024. “The current upsurge of Mpox in parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus, is an emergency, not only for Africa, but for the entire […]
Amsterdam Conference drives progress for the PREPARED project on pandemic research ethics
On 21-23 May 2024, the PREPARED Consortium, advisors and long-term collaborators of the PREPARED project were hosted at the Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands to discuss ongoing progress and map the aims and activities ahead of entering the third and final year of the project. The primary objective of the event was an in-depth discussion of […]