Why the EU needs a Special Representative for Global Health

By Louise Bengtsson and Hampus Holmer

When the Council conclusions on the Global Health Strategy – and disclaimer, one of us helped draft those conclusions – were adopted by ministers in January 2024, it marked a moment of real ambition. For the first time in over a decade, EU Member States endorsed a comprehensive vision for Europe’s role in strengthening global health, rooted in equity, resilience and multilateral cooperation. Going beyond the EU’s role in development cooperation, the strategy clearly established health as an integral part of the EU’s foreign policy and the Global Gateway.

The EU Global Health Strategy underpinning the conclusions was launched in November 2022. Since then, the international landscape has shifted. Geopolitical tensions have intensified, development assistance has declined, multilateralism is under pressure and major global health agreements have stalled or been diluted – except perhaps the Pandemic Agreement adopted in May.

Today, if the EU wants to turn strategy into real-world influence, it needs more than just policy documents – it needs political leadership.

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