German Health Minister Hermann Gröhe established an International Advisory Board on Global Health and appointed GHC Director Ilona Kickbusch as its Chairperson. The Advisory Board, composed of six global health experts (see below), will advise Germany on the reorientation of its global health strategy and provide input to address pressing global health challenges.
Professor Kickbusch highlighted the country’s increasing role in global health in the past years, characterised by a multilateral approach and the collaboration with a number of national and global actors. The 2017 G20 Presidency confirmed Germany’s role in setting the international political agenda for global health. In particular, the G20 Leaders’ Declaration and the Berlin Declaration of the G20 Health Ministers address preparedness and responsiveness against global health crises, health systems strengthening, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As the international community faces these and other challenges, German Health Minister Hermann Gröhe stressed that his country will continue to fulfil its responsibilities at the international level in the years to come.
The next steps in the reorientation of Germany’s global health strategy include a second meeting of the Advisory Board at the end of 2017, and an extensive exchange between different governmental sectors and representatives of nongovernmental organisations, the private sector, the scientific community, and foundations. Particular attention will be paid to sustainable global health financing, including within the context of the World Health Organization’s reform process.
Members of the International Advisory Board on Global Health
- Chair: Prof Dr Ilona Kickbusch, Director, Global Health Centre, the Graduate Institute, Geneva
- Prof Dr Christian Drosten, Director, Institute of Virology Charité
- Dr Christopher Elias, President, Global Development Program, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Prof Jeremy Farrar, Director, Wellcome Trusts
- Prof Dr Jörg Hacker, President, German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina – National Academy of Sciences
- Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa