Building a European Health Union – Taking Responsibilities for Global Health

Co-Hosts:

• One Europe for Global Health
• One Sustainable Health for All Foundation
• Virchow Foundation for Global Health

Purpose of the Side Event:

• Offer solutions to build a versatile European Health Union in line with One Health priorities and the SDGs, while stimulating innovation in global cooperation.
• Put forward and prioritize recommendations for structuring the future governance and funding of European Health Programs.
• Propose actions for applying the “One Europe for Global Health” principles to Global Health and One Health policies and strategies.

An important goal of the One Sustainable Health for All Foundation and of the Virchow Foundation for Global Health as well as many other initiatives from academia, civil society, the private sector and politics is the building of an efficient and strong European Health Union.

The mission of the One Europe for Global Health (OEGH) coalition to improve and integrate Global Health and One Health priorities into European policies, strategies and actions by engaging European civil society and convening actors from all sectors. In this context, it is important to establish a diversity of partners in the European region, to further elaborate and support recommendations for the future governance and funding of European Health Programs.

This high-level side event will address key points brought to the table during the “One Voice for a European Global Health and One Health Strategy” Workshop at the World Health Summit 2022. OEGH is the continuation of the initiative taken under the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, resulting in the Lyon Consolidated Declaration for a European Health Union, signed on February 8th, 2022, aimed at enabling and strengthening dialogue between governments, the European Commission, Council of the EU, and European civil society professionals. OEGH urges European stakeholders in global health to make a long-term commitment now for future generations, act locally while thinking globally, come together in equity and solidarity, limit silos with more intersectoral cooperation, and commit to good governance for a European Health Union. This side event will be followed by meetings in Prague and in Stockholm under the auspices of the Czech and the Swedish Presidency of the European Council of Ministers to further advance the resulting actions and recommendations.

A discussion paper will be circulated and presented.