Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 12
12
The pandemic has highlighted the global nature of health security, and the need for greater...
Recommendation
The pandemic has highlighted the global nature of health security, and the need for greater international cooperation in this area. In an interconnected world, health security is inextricable from foreign policy. A cross-Government strategy on global health security is important to UK leadership in this area, and transparency is vital to ensure proper scrutiny. It is near-certain that there will be another pandemic in the coming years, and the Government should learn the lessons of covid-19 and use them to prepare for the next pandemic. This should not mean focusing on covid-19 to the exclusion of other health issues—strengthening health systems around the world is an important part of building resilience to new outbreaks. Global health security should not be allowed to slide down the agenda once covid-19 is under control in the UK. In its response to this report, the FCDO should update the Committee on the progress of this strategy. It should complete and publish its global health strategy by the end of
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
As we have set out in the 2021 Spending Review, the UK is catalysing action from the international community to address the most pressing issues, from COVID-19 to climate change and future pandemic preparedness. FCDO’s Spending Review settlement will enable continued support for COVID-19 and global health. We will publish our Health Systems Strengthening Position Paper before the end of the year. This lays out a more purposeful approach to building strong and inclusive health systems and forms a central pillar of the government’s wider efforts to both end the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and children, and strengthen global health security. It will take account of the lessons learnt from the response to COVID-19, and the need to build resilient and inclusive health systems able to adapt to respond to ongoing and emerging pandemic threats while continuing to deliver essential basic health care services and prevent excess death from pandemic and non-pandemic causes. We are working closely with DHSC and others to develop an overall strategic framework for Global Health, ensuring that the full range of expertise and investments across government is being brought together to deliver the global health aims outlined in the Integrated Review. Decisions on publication will be made in due course.