G20 Ministers conclude Health and Finance meeting
G20 Ministers of Health and Finance conclude their two-day meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, today
This year’s G20, with Indonesia holding the presidency, is an attempt at turning the forum into a more permanent and impactful body. One particular priority is the establishment of a global health architecture to jointly respond to pandemics. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Secretary General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, as well as the CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Secretary General of the OECD, are also attending the meeting, during which the specifics of a joint health architecture will be discussed.
Both the ministers of health and finance will be crucial in setting up the planned multi-billion dollar fund for global pandemic preparedness, which the World Bank will administer. The U.S., E.U., Germany, Indonesia and Singapore jointly committed $1.1 billion so far, making this year’s target of $1.5 billion a likely success, although still far short of the $10 billion the WHO and World Bank say are needed annually. Other major economies, including China, have not yet committed funding. Another focus of the meeting will probably be on aligning global health protocols for travel, to prevent future pandemic-induced travel chaos. However, Indonesia’s ongoing insistence on still including Russia in this year’s G20 will likely overshadow much the forum’s initiatives.
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