Global stockpile for health emergency response: A distributed strategy for pandemic preparedness in a post–COVID‑19, fragmenting world

The COVID‑19 pandemic exposed deep structural weaknesses in global health emergency preparedness. Even countries considered highly capable experienced severe shortages as sudden surges in demand overwhelmed national stockpiles. The global scramble for public protection resources was intensified by limited manufacturing capacity, export restrictions, supply‑chain nationalism, and the absence of enforceable international norms governing allocation of critical medical supplies. As COVID‑19 spread across continents, mutual‑aid systems collapsed simultaneously. Attempts to import essential supplies were hindered by border closures, manufacturing shutdowns, transportation disruptions, hoarding, black‑marketing, and political bias in bilateral transactions. Millions were left without timely access to testing, treatment, or life‑saving equipment.

The pandemic demonstrated that emergency health resources required for global biological crises exceed the governing capacity of individual nations or traditional multilateral institutions. With weakening international obligations and declining influence of the United Nations, a new model of distributed global health security is urgently required. This paper proposes GSHER a hybrid, multi‑actor system combining regional alliances, private‑sector capabilities, and limited UN coordination to ensure equitable, rapid, and depoliticized access to essential medical resources during future pandemics.