The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare how ill-equipped the globe is to quickly predict, trace, and mitigate new health threats. As countries attempt to repair the global devastation this pandemic has inflicted in both lives lost and economic disruption, all of us—physicians, scientists, epidemiologists, statisticians, economists, journalists, bureaucrats—whatever our profession, trade, or political office, must do better at quickly identifying, tracking, and combating the rise and movement of pathogenic threats. While much of the infrastructure needed for an active global surveillance system already exists, the current system is fragmented, lacks coordination and collaboration, and is not supported by sustained governmental and organizational commitment. We need to focus on bringing global resources together with the aim of creating a seamless, sustainable system to protect the world.