France’s new Global Health Strategy

France has released its Global Health Strategy for 2023-2027, in Lyon today, in the presence of three French Ministers, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Health and Prevention, the Minister of Higher Education and Research, and WHO’s Director-General.

As a lead player for shaping global health policies, France has called on national and international stakeholders to support building a new global health architecture towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular SDG3, focused on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, at all ages.

The new Health Strategy aims to help reduce health inequalities and strengthen the One Health approach to better prevent and prepare for future global health emergencies. It urges the global community to address the health consequences of climate change and the environmental impact on health systems.

To underscore WHO’s and France strong collaboration and in recognition of France’s pivotal global health role, Dr Tedros travelled to France to join the launch event.

“France was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has been a strong friend to WHO throughout the 75 years since then,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “As one of the world’s largest economies, France has a critical role to play in global health, and the new Global Health Strategy will enhance that role. It aligns well with WHO’s priorities to promote, provide, protect, empower and perform for health.”

France shares key health priorities with WHO, adopting a crosscutting approach and prioritizing universal health coverage (UHC) as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. France also provides support for transformative initiatives at WHO such as the WHO Academy and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which the Ministers visited today.

Dr Tedros addressed the audiences at the Academy and IARC together with Ms Catherine Colonna, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Aurélien Rousseau, Minister of Health and Prevention, and Ms Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education and Research.

“The World Health Organization, whose 74th anniversary we are celebrating today, must continue to play a central and driving role,” said Ms Catherine Colonna, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. “France will continue to support the WHO and its ambitious governance and financing reforms.”

“France is also committed alongside the WHO Academy through several partnership with universities, research institutes, and public health institutions,” remarked Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education and Research. “Our goal is to enrich the learners’ experience through a diversified training portfolio within the Academy.”

“The launch of this Global Health Strategy is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the WHO. The Organization plays a central role in global health, and we must continue to support it,” said Mr Aurélien Rousseau, Minister of Health and Prevention. “This is why, I am announcing today, France is keen to host, in the first quarter of 2024, in partnership with the WHO, the first international financing conference for the fight against meningitis.”

The 2023-2027 French Strategy for Global Health is the fruit of collaboration involving a wide range of French actors: public agencies, civil society organizations, higher education and research organizations, scientific institutions, foundations, organizations of human, animal and environmental health specialists, local government bodies and the private sector. They will all be represented within a monitoring committee to track the Strategy’s implementation and progress.

^{From left to right: Minister of Health and Prevention H.E. Aurélien Rousseau, WHO’s Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs H.E. Catherine Colonna, Minister of Higher Education and Research, and H.E. Sylvie Retailleau Minister of Higher Education and Research.}