United Nations Foundation and Temasek Foundation Launch Partnership to Advance Pandemic Risk Assessment

Today, the United Nations Foundation and Temasek Foundation announced a partnership to advance the emerging science of pandemic risk assessment and develop tools to support decision-making on health threats in Asia and beyond. 

To mark the launch of Advancing Pandemic Risk Assessment in Asia, the UN Foundation and Temasek Foundation hosted a partnership signing ceremony and reception on the margins of High-level Week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.  

The new initiative, developed in partnership with Duke University and Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness, will bring together scientific, policy, financing, and public health expertise, and will be shaped and refined for the varied contexts of countries across Asia. It reflects the UN Foundation’s commitment to building novel partnerships to solve global challenges and Temasek Foundation’s focus on catalyzing early-stage solutions that partners can test, strengthen, and scale. 

“We are honored to partner with Temasek Foundation to launch this new initiative,” said Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the UN Foundation. “This is the kind of collaboration that is at the heart of the UN Foundation’s work: Catalyzing partnerships across sectors to address a challenge that no one actor can solve alone. We are excited to lead this effort to better understand pandemic risk, act earlier, and invest together to reduce the threat of future pandemics.” 

While substantial investments have been made to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities, far less attention has been given to systematically understanding how pandemic risk is evolving. Pandemic risk assessment seeks to better understand how pandemic risks emerge and develop –– from the conditions that can enable a pathogen to spill over into people to the health, economic, and societal consequences that could follow. This new partnership will bring together evidence across disciplines to help decision-makers better understand changing risks and identify where prevention, preparedness, and investment may have the greatest impact. 

“Asia is home to strong scientific talent, capable institutions, and hard-won experience in confronting infectious diseases,” said Ng Boon Heong, Executive Director and CEO of the Temasek Foundation. “We can further strengthen Asia’s capabilities through a systematic way to understand how pandemic risk is changing over time, so that we can act ahead of the next outbreak rather than in the middle of one. This partnership brings scientists, policymakers, and funders together to close that gap, and Temasek Foundation hopes to work alongside our partners to turn emerging science into practical ways for governments and institutions across the region to see risk more clearly and act on it sooner.” 

The partnership builds on the Asia Regional Workshop on Pandemic Risk Assessment, held in Singapore in July 2026. The workshop brought together more than 60 scientists and policymakers from Asia and beyond. Discussions focused on refining the emerging pandemic risk assessment approach and how scientific evidence can better inform practical policy and investment decisions across the region, as well as opportunities for sustained regional engagement as the approach continues to develop. The workshop was co-hosted by Temasek Foundation and Singapore’s Communicable Diseases Agency, and co-organized by the UN Foundation and the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, in partnership with Duke-NUS Medical School, Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness, and PAX sapiens. 

The lessons generated through Advancing Pandemic Risk Assessment in Asia will contribute to the continued development of pandemic risk assessment as a broader global approach. 

ABOUT THE UN FOUNDATION

The United Nations Foundation has built novel innovations and partnerships to support the United Nations and help solve global problems at scale for over 25 years. As an independent charitable organization, the Foundation was created to work closely with the United Nations to address humanity’s greatest challenges and drive global progress. Learn more at www.unfoundation.org.

ABOUT TEMASEK FOUNDATION

Temasek Foundation supports a diverse range of programs that uplift lives and communities in Singapore and Asia. Temasek Foundation’s programs are made possible through philanthropic endowments gifted by Temasek, as well as gifts and other contributions from other donors. These programmes strive to deliver positive outcomes for individuals and communities now, and for generations to come. Collectively, Temasek Foundation’s programs strengthen social resilience, foster international exchange and catalyze regional capabilities, advance science, and protect the planet. For more information, visit www.temasekfoundation.org.sg.