Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Paragraph: 9
Another pandemic could wreak just as much havoc on the global economy and have just...
Recommendation
Another pandemic could wreak just as much havoc on the global economy and have just as devastating an effect on global health outcomes as war, famine or environmental disaster. The temptation for world leaders will be to ignore the risks of a future pandemic until it is too late. We recommend that the Government takes steps to ensure that every G7 and G20 meeting includes an agenda item on mitigating pandemic risks.
Paragraph Reference:
9
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The focus of each round of G7 and G20 meetings is at the discretion of the Presidency. Under the UK’s Presidency, G7 leaders backed ambitious plans to work together on improving pandemic preparedness as set out in the Carbis Bay Health Declaration. These commitments aim to uphold and strengthen the global health system, and demonstrate how the G7 can set high ambition on global health security. As part of its commitment to accountability, the G7 publishes a report each year measuring progress against development commitments made by G7 leaders. This year the report focused on the G7’s progress in advancing universal health coverage and global health through strengthening health systems, preparedness and resilience. The Carbis Bay report sets out how G7 countries have taken a leading role in efforts to improve global health and tackle epidemics and emerging threats. The report shows that since 2015, G7 countries have made considerable progress on their global health commitments, including through: mobilising financial and technical support for health systems; working with Low-Income Countries (LICs) and Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to evaluate and develop the public health capacities required by the International Health Regulations (IHR) to prevent, detect and respond to public health events and emergencies; and financing and providing assistance to key international mechanisms that support flexible and swift emergency responses in LICs/ LMICs during pandemics and health emergencies. This year, G7 leaders also welcomed the Pandemic Preparedness Partnership and 100 Day Mission for vaccine development and deployment. G7 countries furthermore committed to support other countries to increase their surveillance capacities by supporting the establishment of the international pathogen surveillance network. In the G20, the UK has worked closely with the Italian Presidency and G20 partners in order to achieve our shared ambition on global health. At the Leaders’ Summit in October, the G20 recommitted to strengthening global health governance and improving pandemic preparedness and response for future health emergencies. The UK will continue to ensure that tackling health threats and pandemics remains central to discussions of G7 and G20 partners in future years by working with G7 and G20 presidencies and building on the achievements of this year’s UK G7 presidency.