In an era of escalating climate-driven health threats, eight Southern African countries – Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe – have joined forces with WHO and partners to launch a bold, multi-country initiative backed by the Pandemic Fund. This three-year, $36 million program is designed to transform how the region anticipates, detects, and responds to disease outbreaks.

By integrating human, animal, and environmental health systems, the project pioneers a climate-resilient One Health approach to emergency preparedness. It strengthens early warning systems, laboratory diagnostics, and public health workforce capacity – while fostering cross-border collaboration and data sharing to protect communities and economies alike.

This initiative is not just about responding to outbreaks—it's about preventing them. It’s about building smarter, faster, and more connected systems that can anticipate risks before they escalate. And it’s about empowering countries to lead the way in safeguarding health security across Africa.