shares are steadily declining, reflecting global trends that require a redefinition of international solidarity. The weak- nesses of the existing approach were highlighted by the recent cessation of US foreign aid: • A support system which is overly reliant on a single donor is not sus- tainable and reliable. A future constellation needs to be supported by many actors in a multipolar world. • The traditional interaction is based on a donor-recipient paradigm where the aid comes from industrial- ised states of the Global North. Such polarised interaction perpetuates both the dominance of donor nations and the passivity of recipients – this should be replaced by a partnership approach. • Humanitarian motives for ODA are applaudable – but a sustaina- ble approach requires the inclusion of additional acceptable interests. Thus, a new international develop- ment system should be based on the transparent communication of mutual interests including economic ones. Consequently, a more equitable model – similar to NATO burden-shar- ing – needs to be developed, with a wider array of countries contributing fixed shares of support. On the other hand, the principle of country owner- ship needs to be strengthened: low- and middle-income countries must be pre- pared to allocate at least 15% of their
“Health is the foundation of every economy. A healthy population forms the basis for workforce productivity, social stability, and long-term growth”
GDP to health and development, which requires new taxation frameworks and debt relief. EUROPE’S ROLE IN A FRAGMENTING WORLD The World Health Summit (WHS) 2025 from October 12 to 14 in Berlin will convene under the leitmotif: “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragment- ing World.” This theme corresponds to the urgent need for leadership and concerted action, while the call for responsibility addresses each and every stakeholder in the health sector, from traditional donor states to emerging countries, from medical specialists to finance, and industrial experts. Based on its economic and innovative potential, as well as on its multina- tional composition, Europe and the European Union could foster the estab- lishment of a new architecture for development partnership, address the generated vacuum, and strengthen its role in global health and development. During the 2024 WHO investment round at the World Health Summit last October, the European Union and its member states signaled their readiness to take on greater responsibility. Stable, long-term funding for global health – including institutions like the WHO – is now imperative. At the same time, these investments also support domestic pop-
https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/ wp-content/uploads/2025/03/issuepaper_Health_ G7-Measures-to-enhance-Global-Health-Equity- and-Security_Kickbusch_Hornidge_Gitahi_ Kamradt-Scott.pdf https://focus2030.org/How-much-do-the-G7-countries- give-in-Official-Development-Assistance-ODA https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/ Laender-Regionen/Internationales/Thema/allgemeines- regionales/G7/G7.html?nn=632814#wirtschaft is a case in point: international cooper- ation can produce concrete benefits for health systems worldwide and protect our societies and economies from the devastating social and economic effects of a next pandemic. Global cooperation, especially in health and development, is not an option – it is the only viable path forward. Global health financing offers signif- icant returns. It stimulates further investments, creates new markets, and supports the export of domestically pro- duced health technologies and services. Rather than falling into nationalist rhet- oric, we should reframe the discussion: global health is not just a moral impera- tive, instead it is a matter of transparent, mutual economic benefits. Health is the foundation of every econ- omy. A healthy population forms the basis for workforce productivity, social stability, and long-term growth. In fact, the health economy is one of the larg- est commercial sectors in nearly every G7 nation. Leaders must recognise that investing in health is not charity, it is smart policy. The pandemic preparedness accord ulations. Health security is no longer just a humanitarian issue – it is a stra- tegic and economic necessity. HEALTH AS THE CORNERSTONE OF ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
// AXEL RADLACH PRIES Axel Radlach Pries became president of the World Health Summit in 2021. He was the dean of Charité from 2015 to 2022, having been head of the Charité Institute for Physiology from 2001. He has chaired the Council for Basic Cardiovascular Science and the Congress Programme Committee basic section in the European Society of Cardiology, was president of the Biomedical Alliance in Europe and CEO of the Berlin Institute of Health. He has received the Malpighi Award, the Poiseuille Gold Medal and the Silver Medal of the European Society of Cardiology.
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