Beyond 2023: EU’s role in achieving health for all [Promoted content]

Your health should never depend on who you are, where you live or how much money you have. Yet, in 2021, about 4.5 billion people, more than half of the global population, were not fully covered by essential health services. Globally, five million children under the age of five die each year from preventable and treatable causes due to the lack of affordable health and sanitation interventions. Think about it: that is one in four children under five within the European Union. 

Willy Bergogné is the Save the Children Europe Director.

Health for all should be the norm, not the exception, and the global community, including the European Union, has committed to making this a reality for everyone by 2030, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3). 2023 marks the halfway point to the 2030 deadline for implementing SDGs. This year we have observed a significant political momentum towards prioritising global health, advancing SDGs and working towards the realisation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all.

Through high-level summits and meetings – G7 summit and World Health Assembly in May and G20 summit in September – world leaders have set the bar high on what needs to happen in the next seven years to ensure people’s right to health. The culmination of these efforts took centre stage at the UN General Assembly in September, where governments made commitments to mobilize domestic public resources, strengthen international cooperation and embrace the voices of communities, ensuring their active participation in decision-making leaves no one behind. 

Despite these efforts, progress in reaching SDG 3 has been slow, if not stalled, particularly in the realm of children’s health. Children, especially those affected by inequality and discrimination, bear the brunt of ongoing conflicts, the piling up of humanitarian crises, economic instability, and deepening climate emergency. Let’s look at just a few harsh figures: a child dies of pneumonia every 45 seconds. For a preventable and treatable disease, this is simply inexcusable. 20.5 million children missed out on basic childhood vaccines in 2022, 2 million more than in 2019. This underscores the need for accelerated catch-up efforts. Additionally, 149 million children under five were affected by stunting in 2022. We cannot continue slipping back on gains made in child survival in recent years. 

The EU Elections in 2024 present a critical opportunity for the EU to step up on its commitments. The EU Global Health Strategy, launched at the end of 2022, charts the political path forward, guiding the EU’s role in advancing health for all beyond 2023. But its success hinges on the collective determination of the next European Parliament and European Commission. Bold political leadership and decisive actions are imperative to maintain momentum on global health in the face of multiplying crises. First and foremost, global health must be prioritised in the agendas of both International Partnership (INTPA) and Health and Food Safety (SANTE) Commissioners.  Both INTPA and SANTE Directorates need to build a solid inter-service coordination and monitoring mechanism to ensure the “health in all policy” approach is consistently applied by all relevant Directorates, including also the EU External Action Service and EU Delegations in this process. Furthermore, the coordination between the European Commission and the European Parliament should be strengthened, and Parliament structures should reflect the prioritisation of global health in the upcoming years. This can be achieved, for example, through the establishment of a separate “Public Health” Committee or the reinforced mandate of the Development Committee.  

The European Commission should also advocate for the adoption of national global health strategies among EU Member States, as so far only France, the Netherlands and Sweden have one. Governments must ensure the alignment of national policy frameworks on global health. Collaboration, not isolation, is the key. The EU and its Member States should pursue the Team Europe efforts to speak with one voice, ensuring sustainable, predictable, and coordinated investment in global health, incorporating the perspectives of civil society organisations and local communities. On the other hand, Team Europe initiatives and the promotion of global health as one of the geopolitical priorities of the European Commission should not impede strong and equal cooperation with partner countries, ensuring priorities are relevant for all the parties involved and programmes are implemented at local level. 

Lastly, assessing the EU’s investment in global health will also be fundamental in view of the 2028-2034 EU budget negotiations. The future budget must be aligned not only with the geographic programming priorities of the EU External Instrument – NDICI – but also with the European Commission’s contributions to the global health initiatives, such as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents, through the thematic pillar of the NDICI. 

In the face of economic challenges, strategic investments in health – investments in human capital – are paramount. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus rightly points out the importance of these investments in building equitable, secure, and sustainable societies. At the heart of these efforts are children, who deserve a world where health, equality, and justice are not just aspirations but fundamental rights. As stewards of their future, we have a moral obligation to provide them with the opportunities they need to thrive in a healthier and more equitable world.