Global Health Framework

Will Quince Excerpts

Monday 22nd May 2023 Written Statements

[The Minister for Health and Secondary Care (Will Quince)]

We are pleased to announce the publication of the “Global Health Framework: Working together towards a healthier world”. The framework sets out our vision to play a leading role in improving health globally and in building resilience to future threats. It outlines the actions we will take over 2023-2025 in support of health and for a safer and more prosperous UK and world. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-health-framework-working-together-towards-a-healthier-world.

The pandemic shone a spotlight on the importance of global health and the need for strong health systems to protect nations and economies from future global health threats, not least the need for collective action to deliver the third sustainable development goal—to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.

The framework aims to harness capabilities across Government to deliver our global health aims as set out in the international development strategy and recently published “Integrated Review Refresh”. Historically, the UK has been a proud leader in global health. We are well placed to continue this leadership by building on our strengths such as the UK’s health system, our expertise in public health and our excellent health science and research sector.

We will use this leadership to achieve the key aims of the framework.

We will strengthen global health security through improving our preparedness and response to future epidemics, pandemics, drug-resistant infections, and climate change.

We will reform the global health architecture, including through a strengthened World Health Organization, to drive more coherent governance and collaboration across the international system.

We will strengthen country health systems and address key risk factors for ill health, working towards ending the preventable deaths of mothers, babies and children in the world’s poorest countries, and enabling women and girls to exercise their rights.

Finally, we will advance UK leadership in science and technology, strengthening the global health research base of UK and partner countries, while supporting trade and investment.

Our global work contributes to the UK’s ability to handle health threats and strengthens our life sciences sector. A significant part of the solution to the challenges we face at home will come from overseas and having strong relationships with other countries. The global health framework therefore sits alongside the wider international engagement conducted by the Government to achieve better domestic health outcomes. For example, our involvement in global health research means we can be at the forefront of technological innovation and bring those benefits to our own population, while being part of global disease surveillance systems ensures we have access to early evidence of health risks that could affect the UK directly or indirectly.

Over the next two years we will collectively progress key activities across the four objectives set out in the global health framework. We will work across Government to maximise the impact of these ambitions. Now is the time to act to realise the importance of health for all by treating it as a global priority.

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