“What matters to people—global health and innovation” was the theme of the Third International German Forum that was held at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin on 21-22 February 2017. Launched in 2013 as a supplementary discussion to the G20 meetings, this international forum was created by Chancellor Angela Merkel to serve as a platform where experts from the realms of politics, industry, science and research, and civil society can engage in discussions on the issues that will define our future.

The selection of health as the focus of the forum reflects the growing prioritisation being given to this area by the G20, which has been adding more and more health-related issues to its agenda each year. Following the Ebola crisis, the 2014 G20 summit made an urgent call to respond to the outbreak, and subsequent summits have devoted greater attention to combatting dangerous pathogens. Furthermore, the issue of antimicrobial resistance and the need for increased research and development in this area has been included on the summit’s agenda since 2016.

At this year’s International German Forum, experts once again called for the responsible use of antibiotics. In particular, it was underlined that the fight against the manufacture and sale of counterfeit drugs needs to be part of a holistic approach to AMR. Information and communication technology (ICT) was also among the main themes addressed. It was pointed out that ICT is one of the most important drivers of innovation in the health sector. Digital solutions offer a huge potential, in particular to foster access to healthcare and equity. Moreover, e-health initiatives in different countries can lead to increased capacities in data analysis and in the training of health service staff. Participants further considered how societies can achieve a better understanding of mental health and how they can overcome taboos in this field. Chancellor Angela Merkel admitted that this is an area in which every country is a developing country.

With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the international community committed itself to the promotion of health on both the global and local levels, and the focus on health in the German Forum and the incorporation of these discussions in the upcoming G20 agenda therefore reflect important steps towards the realisation of this commitment. To maintain momentum, a meeting of health ministers will be held before the summit.

For the dialogue on these issues to continue it is essential that the International Geneva community engages in this process to ensure that health remains a priority in global policy processes. Following the Third International German Forum’s main message, global health actors must “keep networking” to continue learning from one another through the exchange of success stories and innovations.