2023-09-20 09:50:45
From September 17 to 22, 2023, in New York, the 193 member states of the United Nations are gathered for the High-level week of the General Assembly, a diplomatic event of prime importance. This year, unprecedented attention is being given to health with three high-level meetings on essential public health themes: prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) to pandemics, universal health coverage (UHC) and the fight against tuberculosis (TB). The Minister of Health and Prevention, Aurélien ROUSSEAU, is present to highlight French commitments and bring French positions into these debates.
This year marks the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, at a time when humanitarian and climate crises are multiplying, and in the context of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, the global health issues are at the heart of international meetings: G7, G20, World Health Assembly… For the first time, the United Nations General Assembly is putting this subject at the heart of discussions also with three high-level meetings on healtheach of which must lead to the adoption of a statement. World leaders will discuss ways to advance pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, achieve health for all, end tuberculosis and reinvigorate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs ).
The Minister of Health and Prevention, Aurélien Rousseau, travels to New York to participate in health highlights. He also announced the launch of the new French global health strategy for 2023-2027in October in Lyon.
Advancing pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
The overall approach which will be discussed during a high-level meeting dedicated to this issue aims to address the pandemic threats drawing lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic, by strengthening cooperation, fairness et l’action at the World level. The French delegation thus fully supports the declaration which must be adopted on September 20, 2023 by the Member States, insisting on access and equitable distribution of medical countermeasures (medicine, medical device or other good or service making it possible to respond to a threat serious on health) and by defending the need for financing, in particular with the Pandemic Fund for preparation and prevention. France joined this Fund in November 2022, investing EUR 50 million in it over the coming years. Since its launch, the Fund has raised $2 billion from 25 countries and philanthropic organizations and on July 19, 2023, it allocated its first funding to 19 projects covering both surveillance and warning systems and human resources.
Universal health coverage
Guarantee access to care for all is the major challenge of universal health coverage, which is also part of the new French global health strategy (see box). In line with the third Sustainable Development Goal “ empower individuals to live healthy lives and promote well-being at all ages », a working session brings together ministers on September 21 with a view to making the international community a major player in universal health coverage by 2030. A declaration must be adopted, making it possible in particular to accelerate progress towards the achievement of UHC by 2030.
The 78th UNGA began with a Summit on the SDGs, where heads of state took stock of the progress made mid-term before the 2030 deadline. Aurélien Rousseau returned to the importance of this statement: “ Universal health coverage represents, in my eyes, one of the most concrete illustrations of the social contract binding all societies. Far from materializing an act of charity, it rather represents a political choice relating to good governance, but also to the most obvious health imperative: a group is only safe by taking care of all its members. »
The fight against tuberculosis
The last High-Level meeting in the health field of this 78th General Assembly will invite Member States on Friday, September 22 to discuss the fight against tuberculosisparticularly on universal access to prevention, screening, treatment and care of this disease. The fight against the tuberculosis epidemic is a good illustration of how universal health coverage can be achieved thanks to multilateralism: from the arrival of new vaccines and the development of new treatments, to distribution as close as possible to the needs ; the international system produces concrete results on the health of populations. Here too, France, through its role in world bodies, is a major player and Minister Aurélien Rousseau will participate in the high-level meeting on this subject. He will highlight the importance of international political and financial support for tuberculosis research.
From the UN in New York, the Minister of Health and Prevention, Aurélien Rousseau, and the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna announced the launch of the new French global health strategy 2023-2027 . This strategy is part of a desire to respond to global health challenges (climate disruption, demographic growth, inequalities, etc.) by calling on all French and international stakeholders. Coordinated by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MSP) and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR), the global health strategy aims to respond in particular to SDG 3 for the health and well-being of populations at all ages, while defending universal access to health. It will be launched in October 2023, in Lyon – a stronghold of the French ecosystem for global health.
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