WHO says it backs global health agenda of Indian presidency set at G20 meet

The WHO on Thursday said it was a strong supporter of the Global Health Agenda being set by the Indian presidency at the G20 Health Working Group meeting here as it was focused, well-articulated and takes into account priorities of the day. Stephanie Seydoux, WHO envoy for Multilateral Affairs at the G20 India Health Working Group Meet here, further said on the sidelines that the agenda being set by the Indian presidency was ambitious and well supported by G20 members and participants.

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a very strong supporter of the Global Health Agenda being set by the Indian presidency. It is indeed an ambitious agenda, but it is focused, well-articulated and it certainly speaks of the priorities of the day," she said.

The first Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency is underway presently and would conclude on January 20. India assumed the presidency of the G20 on December 1, 2022


On the issues being considered in the meeting, Seydoux said the global health architecture, preparedness and response were being discussed.

Besides that, better, more equitable and efficient access to enough counter-measures like vaccines, medicines and diagnostics were also topics of discussion, she said.

"We are discussing how to improve access to vital vaccines, medicines and diagnostics," she said and added that India has a lot to say on that.

Seydoux said the framework which has to be at the basis of all future global improvement "has to be based on solidarity, cooperation and sharing the best practices as well as transferring technology and capacity".

"That is definitely the WHO position," she said.

On Wednesday, India said emergency preparedness is an overarching priority that requires building of resilient health systems across the world to protect people in the face of similar crises.

The Health Track of the G20 India Presidency would comprise four Health Working Group (HWG) Meetings and one Health Ministerial Meeting (HMM).

The meetings would be held in different locations across the country, including Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Goa, Hyderabad (Telangana) and Gandhinagar (Gujarat), highlighting the Prime Minister's call to action to showcase India's rich and diverse cultures.