The Federal Government’s Global Health Strategy
The importance of Global Health has grown markedly in recent years, both in Germany and internationally. With its Global Health Strategy, the Federal Government commits itself to global health policy and the goal of achieving the health targets of the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals. Germany assumes a global responsibility and “leads by example”.
This forward-looking strategy addresses new challenges, such as the increase in antimicrobial resistances, or the emergence of cross-border infectious diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aim of the strategy is to make a significant contribution toward improving global health by the year 2030. Here the Federal Government places particular focus on system-oriented action and areas of intersection, where the best-possible outcomes are attainable through a “One Health” approach involving joint and multisector activities.
This strategy enables the Federal Government to prioritise targeted areas in which Germany is able to use its political commitment, expertise and competences to utmost effect. The five key thematic areas comprise:
- Promoting health, preventing and appropriately combating illnesses
- Addressing the environment, climate change and health in a holistic manner
- Strengthening health care systems
- Protecting health – by meeting cross-border health risks head-on
- Driving global health research and innovation
To implement the strategy, the Federal Government advocates a partnership-based approach, since the challenges we face in global health can only be overcome through interconnection, coordination and collaboration. Additionally, Germany supports the development and improvement of multilateral structures in global health with a central and coordinating role assigned to WHO.
The strategy ensures the Federal Government acts in a consistent manner. It is implemented by all Federal Ministries through a “Health-in-all-policies” approach.
When implementing the strategy’s priorities, the dialogue with non-state actors is of particular importance to the Federal Government.
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Under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health, as part of a consultative process the strategy development process also included non-state actors besides the other Ministries. The objective was to facilitate a constructive and multi-perspective exchange. Various stakeholder groups submitted position papers:
- on behalf of civil society: the Working Group on Health of the umbrella organisation of development and humanitarian aid non-governmental organisations (Verband Entwicklungspolitik und Humanitäre Hilfe deutscher Nichtregierungsorganisationen e.V. – VENRO)
- on behalf of German business: the German Health Alliance (GHA) (until July 2019: German Healthcare Partnership (GHP)) (business position paper, external PDF)
- on behalf of science: German Society for Public Health (DGPH) (academic position paper, external PDF)
- on behalf of the think tanks: Berlin Institute for Global Health (the think tanks’ position paper, external PDF)
- on behalf of youth: the federal representation of medical students in Germany (Bundesvertretung der Medizinstudierenden in Deutschland e.V. – bvmd) (youth position paper, external PDF)
The position papers served as input for the discussion of strategic priorities and goals.
Furthermore, the process also drew on expertise from the International Advisory Board on Global Health (recommendations of the Advisory Board, external PDF).
In view of the dynamic developments of the global health architecture, an inter-ministerial review process is planned for 2025 to assess the Strategy and its implementation at the halfway point of its envisaged term.