We call on G7 leaders to take concrete action to:
Achieve universal access through strong health systems
- Agree a G7 initiative to support the rebuilding of strong and resilient health systems especially those ravaged by the ongoing Ebola crisis.
Stop preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths.
- Renew the Muskoka Initiative
- Support implementation of ENAP (Every Newborn: An Action Plan to end preventable deaths)
End the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and accelerating collaborative responses on neglected and poverty-related diseases.
- Support UNAIDS and Stop TB and Roll Back Malaria global plans to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
- Re-affirm Hokkaido Toyako NTD commitments
Invest in global health research and development to combat these diseases.
- Scale up innovative approaches to foster the global health research and development
Context
The G7’s efforts to improve global health rank among its greatest development achievements. By any measure G7 action has helped make remarkable progress against the greatest global health threats of our time. 2015 is a pivotal year to carry this legacy forward. The G7’s leadership is needed to reinvigorate efforts to strengthen health care systems, fight infectious diseases, improve maternal and child health, and to ensure the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals health-related commitments are not lost in the transition to the Sustainable Development Goals especially where G7 action has contributed to substantial progress.
We applaud Chancellor Merkel for drawing attention to Gavi’s replenishment by designating the conference as the first highlight of the German G7 Presidency. A fully-funded Gavi working to scale up access to vaccines to protect all children and to strengthen health systems is critical and should look to compliment the G7’s efforts on maternal and child health. To this end, the G7 must renew its support of the Muskoka Initiative to continue the advances on maternal, newborn and child health.
Additionally, the Ebola crisis is a grim reminder of the repercussions of failing to build strong, sustainable and accessible health systems. Strong health systems are central to achieving sustainable progress on all of the G7’s longstanding health goals. The crisis illustrates how a strategy of relying solely on bilateral and multilateral programmes to meet health system strengthening commitments is insufficient. The G7 must spearhead a plan to support the rebuilding and establishment of strong resilient health systems in countries most affected by the Ebola and other vulnerable and severely resource limited settings.
We call on G7 leaders to take concrete action to:
- Achieve universal access to strong health systems. We call on the G7 to renew its health systems strengthening commitments by establishing a high-level taskforce, in consultation with relevant international organizations, to develop a comprehensive plan detailing a G7 initiative to strengthen systems particularly in those countries ravaged by Ebola as well as infectious, neglected tropical and poverty related diseases. The plan’s actions should aim to bolster fragile health systems by building their capacity, equipping them with the necessary infrastructure, staff/personnel training and essential commodities to address the current disease burden and protection from future threats. The report should elaborate G7 actions to support regional initiatives such as the African Union’s Roadmap for the establishment of the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Investments from donors and domestic resources must be aligned with comprehensive national health plans to enable all people to access quality health services including access to essential medicines without financial hardship, with a particular focus on the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised.
- Stop preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths. We call on G7 leaders to recommit to the Muskoka Initiative by tackling the remaining health inequalities amongst the poorest, most vulnerable and in conflict ridden and fragile states. In particular, the G7 must help countries save the lives of newborns through a defined plan for G7 support of the implementation of the Every Newborn Action Plan agreed by the WHO Assembly in May 2014. The knowledge and technology exists to ensure that no child dies of preventable causes and no mother dies giving life through childbirth. Improved maternal and child nutrition is also also crucial when over 45% of deaths among children under 5 years are associated with undernutrition. Proven cost-effective interventions exist to: reduce stunting, and wasting; improve women’s nutrition; encourage breastfeeding; and provide high-quality complementary food and appropriate micronutrients. G7 leaders must exercise leadership to ensure new financial commitments help countries end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths and ensure healthy lives by seeking additional resources in other forums such as the Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa and through the Global Financing Facility in support of the Every Woman Every Child Initiative.
- Ending the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and accelerate collaborative responses on neglected and poverty-related diseases. G7 leaders must reaffirm their commitment to end these epidemics by supporting the UNAIDS Fast Track strategy to end AIDS by 2030 and work to ensure that the new Global Plan to Stop TB and new Global Action Plan to Roll back malaria are adopted and implemented by donors and affected countries around the world. Despite the substantial progress made in reversing the AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria epidemics: millions of HIV-positive people still do not know their status and lack access to treatment; new, multi-drug resistant strains of TB continue to emerge; and access to effective malaria diagnostics, treatment and prevention is still lacking. Sustained resource commitments to the Global Fund and efforts to strengthen healthcare systems are essential. G7 leaders must honor their 2008 Hokkaido Toyako Summit commitments to reach at least 75% of the people affected by NTDs, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable by implementing mass drug administration, ensuring access to safe water and sanitation and increased research to develop new tools for treatment and prevention. G7 leaders should endorse regional commitments to end these diseases including those made by the Organization of American States, the African Union and ASEAN.
- Investing in global health research and development. G7 leaders should support efforts to scale up innovative approaches to foster the development of new diagnostics, prevention technologies, drugs and health products for neglected and poverty-related diseases, including for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Open-source applications hold particular promise to in helping governments deliver vital real-time information and connect communities to lifesaving services and products. Driven by commercial rewards, the current research model for drug, diagnostic and vaccine development creates both innovation and access barriers and leaves many pressing health needs unanswered. Innovative approaches should be pursued that delink the cost of research from the price of the product. One approach has been to support Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) that bring together public, private academic stakeholders to develop health products for the diseases that disproportionally affect the most vulnerable populations.
- Global Poverty Project
- Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases
- The Malaria Consortium
- Sabin Foundation Europe
- Sabin Vaccine Institute
- Save the Children
- Action contre la Faim (ACF), France
- Global Health Advocates, France
- Solthis, France
- Action against AIDS, Germany
- Aktion gegen den Hunger, Germany
- ADRA Deutschland, Germany
- Aerzte der Welt, Germany
- Bischoefliches Hilfswerk Misereor, Germany
- Brot fuer die Welt, Germany
- BUKO Pharmakampagne, Germany
- DSW (Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung), Germany
- The Johanniter International Assistance, Germany
- Plan International, Germany
- terre des hommes, Germany
- World Vision, Germany
- Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Italy
- Africa Japan Forum, Japan
- Japan AIDS & Society Association, Japan
- Japan Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP), Japan
- Peoples’ HOPE, Japan
- Ugoku Ugokasu/ Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), Japan
- World Vision, Japan
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