Covid-19 was a wake-up call to the world. Millions of lives lost, economies shattered, health systems pushed to the brink and daily life upended for all of humanity.

The crisis may have passed, but a harsh lesson remains: the world is woefully unprepared for the next pandemic. Outbreaks of mpox, cholera, polio and Marburg are startling reminders that infectious diseases remain a real and present danger to every country.

On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, I call on countries to heed the lessons of past health emergencies to help prepare for the next.

This means building resilient public and primary health care systems and making good on the promise of Universal Health Coverage. It means making bold investments in pandemic monitoring, detection and response. And it means ensuring equitable access to life-saving tools like vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

Most of all, it means global solidarity. I call on countries to deliver on the historic Pandemic Agreement to ensure the world works better, together, to prevent and contain future pandemics.

Today, and every day, let’s commit to working together for a safer and healthier world for everyone, everywhere.

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On International Migrants Day, we celebrate the contributions millions of migrants make to communities, economies and countries around the world.

But today is also a day to remind ourselves of the challenges migrants can face — from prejudice and discrimination, to outright violence and abuse, to the unimaginable cruelty of human trafficking.

These challenges are made worse by the rising tide of mis and disinformation and hate speech which sows division and distorts the valuable contributions migrants are making each and every day.

As a global community, we must summon our common humanity, and work to reverse these harmful trends.

The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted six years ago, provides concrete solutions to protect migrants at every step of their journeys and continue expanding rights-based pathways for migration.

And through the recently adopted Pact for the Future, the countries of the world recommitted to strengthening international partnerships and global cooperation for safe, orderly and regular migration.

Today and every day, let’s stand up for the rights of all migrants and work to create safe, humane and inclusive migration systems.

(Excerpts of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s message on the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness on 27 December 2024, and on International Migrants Day on 18 December 2024.)