Academy President presents global health recommendations to Angela Merkel ahead of G20

Academy President, Professor Andrew Holmes, and his colleagues from the S20 Science Forum have presented a position statement on global health to the German Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel ahead of the G20 Summit in July.

Infectious diseases illustrate why health will be an important focus at the G20 Summit, along with economic growth and financial market regulation. The Ebola and Zika epidemics have shown how disease in one country can have global impact. Infectious diseases cause at least 15 per cent of cancers, and 15 per cent of tuberculosis cases may be linked to type II diabetes.

The science academies of the G20 states have drawn up recommendations on improving global health and are playing an active role in the G20. In their joint statement, the academies offer strategies and tools to tackle communicable and non-communicable diseases and to strengthen public health systems. The document provides a basis for the G20 Summit consultations.

Professor Holmes is in Germany for the Science 20 Dialogue Forum where the statement was presented overnight.

Global health—specifically the management of both infectious and non-infectious diseases—cause issues world-wide for individuals, health systems and economies.

The academies are calling for strong short- and long-term evidence-based strategies to address these issues.

In the statement the G20 science academies call for:

• the strengthening of healthcare and public health systems
• applying existing and emerging knowledge
• addressing the broader social and environmental determinants of health
• reducing serious risk factors for disease through education and promotion of healthy lifestyles
• ensuring access to health resources globally
• enhancing and extending robust strategies for surveillance and information-sharing.

Furthering research is a prerequisite for providing knowledge and new tools to meet these challenges.

Read the full statement (PDF, 856 KB)