G7 Health Ministerial committed to the successful conclusion of the ongoing negotiations of pandemic rules

G7 Health Ministerial Statement

Today, the G7 Health Ministers expressed their strong support for the successful conclusion of the negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement and the Amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) at the 77th World Health Assembly in May this year. They committed to continue working with all countries and stakeholders to adopt effective and implementable rules that can save lives and enhance equity worldwide.

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, stated: “The negotiations for new pandemic rules are a unique opportunity for all countries to come together and adopt new international rules to better prevent, prepare for and respond to future pandemics. I welcome the strong support of the G7 Health Ministerial to this process. As a shared endeavour by each and every nation, this is the best way to break the cycle of panic and neglect, strengthen the global health architecture and enhance equity. The EU will continue to take concrete and immediate action to fill the gaps laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild trust. Solidarity and partnership will help us to meet the globally agreed targets in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, as set out in our EU Global Health Strategy.”

Ministers stressed the importance of the Pandemic Agreement and revised international rules to address the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and to tackle the current gaps across the full cycle from prevention, preparedness, and response to health emergencies. If left unaddressed, the world will not be ready for the next pandemic. The EU is making important efforts to achieve the necessary convergence. WHO support and the expertise of public and private stakeholders are essential to achieve this convergence and craft effective rules that can be implemented in practice, saving millions of lives.

Trust amongst partners is best rebuilt with solidarity and concrete actions, and the EU has delivered on its commitments. In this regard, G7 Members welcomed the important contribution of the Pandemic Fund, where the European Union and its Member States have been the major contributor, while encouraging new donors and stressing the importance of accountability. The statement also highlighted the different efforts that G7 members have undertaken over the last years, and further committed to support regional diversification of manufacturing of medical countermeasures, with actions like the €1.3 billion Team Europe Initiative on manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies for Africa, in Africa. This makes full use of voluntary technology transfer, empowering our partners to help close the equity gap.

The joint statement was adopted at the meeting of G7 Health Ministers, where Commissioner Kyriakides joined her counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America to take stock of the ongoing negotiations at the WHO.