“We need fair and sustainable multilateralism.”

18.10.2023 13:48

The World Health Summit 2023 ended after three days with 370 speakers in 63 sessions on the afternoon of October 17th. Around 3,100 participants from 106 countries were on site in Berlin. The WHS 2023 has had a total of over 12,000 views online so far. In addition, there are more than 60,000 views on the WHO social media channels, where WHO Director-General Tedros' speeches at the World Health Summit were streamed live.

The focus of the last day was the central closing event of the World Health Summit 2023 and climate change, especially in relation to health.

“The effects of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, species extinction and environmental pollution are putting pressure on both people and the environment,” explained Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. This is particularly true for the climate crisis, whose consequences for health are already being felt all over the world. “That’s why climate protection is always also health protection,” says Lemke.

“Statement on Green Health”

The call to build climate-resilient, low-carbon and sustainable health systems is at the heart of a joint statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Health Summit, the “Statement on Green Health”: “It is our responsibility as world health leaders Health Summit, to demand an end to “business as usual” on climate action and to stand firmly on the side of health and justice.”

You can read the full statement on Green Health here read.

At the key closing event, World Health Summit President Axel R. Pries called for international cooperation: “The global health community must lead the way in international partnership and collaboration to meet the growing challenges in creating healthy living conditions worldwide.”

M8 Alliance Declaration

The call for fair and sustainable multilateralism and to improve global health care in times of climate change are also the themes of the M8 Alliance Declaration at the end of the World Health Summit. The key demands: “Away from fragmentation towards cooperation and integration, eliminating inequalities within and between countries, taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable people.”

The M8 Alliance, with 31 members around the world, is the academic backbone of the World Health Summit.

The entire explanation is here available.

The agenda of the World Health Summit 2023, themed “A Defining Year for Global Health Action”, included topics such as climate change and health, pandemic prevention, digital technologies, the role of the G7 and G20 in global health and 75 years of WHO.