The European Union, the WHO and the UN reiterated on Thursday 25 March that the Covid-19 pandemic and future pandemics can only be overcome through a global approach; they explained this during a video conference on strengthening the EU’s role in global health organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council during a European summit dedicated in particular to vaccinations, which are facing issues in the EU (see EUROPE 12686/1).
“Instead of competing with others, Europe has chosen to build a global alliance”, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, referring in particular to “the ACT-Accelerator, the global initiative to help all countries gain access to tests, treatments and vaccines” for Covid-19, as well as accelerated research efforts.
For the time being, the EU is focusing on vaccines.
“We must step up the world’s capacity to produce vaccines, as well as our collective preparedness against health crises”, von der Leyen said.
The European Commission will co-host the Global Health Summit with the Italian Presidency of the G20 (see EUROPE 12661/3). The summit will aim to “move from the ad-hoc solutions of this year to a sustainable system and agree on principles that can guide our future responses”, said Ms von der Leyen.
At the opening of the videoconference, the Portuguese Minister of Health, Marta Temido, said that the exchange aimed to “support a plural and cross-disciplinary vision of global health”.
UN Under-Secretary-General Amina Mohammed suggested “increased European investments and strengthening public health and social protection systems around the world”.
Noting that “the role of the European Union in global health goes beyond the current pandemic”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of primary health care, which he said was “the essential foundation of universal health coverage and of health security”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)