The COVID-19 pandemic has had enormous health, social, and economic consequences. Despite unprecedented advances in medical science that have enabled the development of novel vaccines and therapies in record speed, this pandemic also exposed deep deficiencies in our ability to detect, prevent, and respond to global health threats.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, the Milken Institute brought together global health leaders to build a vision for a coordinated global early warning system to address a key gap in current global disease surveillance efforts. The vision, as outlined in our report 'A Global Early Warning System for Pandemics: Mobilizing Surveillance for Emerging Pathogens', calls for the mobilization of a coordinated network of multisector and multilateral stakeholders to collect data, share insights, and respond to signals of early disease outbreaks. This report takes this vision for a global early warning system a step further by identifying its critical components and prioritizing the next steps for action