François Picard is pleased to welcome Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. According to Commissioner Síkela, global health stands at a crossroads. The lessons of COVID-19 have made clear that pandemics are not isolated crises but systemic shocks with profound economic and social consequences. Today, we face a convergence of pressures: climate change sparking new diseases, declining global health funding, and fragmented governance structures. He argues that prevention must replace reaction as the organizing principle of global health.