Unitaid supports G20’s push for stronger health systems and greater access to health innovation as leaders convene in India

As the fourth and final G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting of India’s presidency convenes in Gandhinagar, Unitaid welcomes the group’s shared commitment to improving access to health and strengthening cooperation to create stronger health systems.

India has set three health priorities in its capacity as G20 president: emergency prevention, preparedness, and response; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality, and affordable vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics; and advancing digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve service delivery.

“As a global health agency committed to tackling the barriers that keep health innovations from reaching communities in low- and middle-income countries, Unitaid commends the G20 on its efforts to foster inclusive coordination and address gaps in the global health ecosystem,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Unitaid’s Executive Director, during his intervention in Gandhinagar.

“The Indian G20 Presidency, the World Health Organization, and member states have called on us to build on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure we have the necessary medicines and medical supplies needed to respond to global health emergencies. We must invest in research and development for therapeutics, small molecules and biological products, and work with both public and private initiatives, including the pharmaceutical industry, to accelerate the development of innovative tools and make them widely available in low- and middle-income countries. Unitaid commends India’s leadership and the G20’s efforts to address gaps in the global health ecosystem.”

Unitaid and its partners are working on a research and development roadmap for therapeutics to be issued before the end of September 2023.