Today, Secretary Blinken hosted a group of 20 foreign ministers, senior diplomats, and leaders of international organizations for a Foreign Ministry Channel (FMC) for Global Health Security Ministerial to further diplomatic engagement in strengthening global health security. Participants emphasized the key role foreign ministries have in mobilizing political will, global resources, and multisectoral coordination to address infectious disease threats and active outbreaks.
Participants discussed strengthening the global response to mpox, increasing financing and coordination for global health security – including via the Pandemic Fund – and implementing a robust FMC agenda in 2025 that reflects the priorities of FMC partner countries and international organizations.
Leadership from the following countries and organizations joined the meeting: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Morocco, Norway, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the World Health Organization.
Progress of the Foreign Ministry Channel for Global Health Security
Today's meeting builds on a series of FMC senior official meetings held in 2024 to focus political will, diplomatic attention, and coordinated action to address critical health security threats.
Previous FMC meetings include a discussion on the global health security architecture hosted by the United States in March; a One Health, climate change, and pandemic influenza session hosted by Australia in June; and an antimicrobial resistance (AMR) session hosted by the United Kingdom in July. A special session of the FMC was held in August to discuss the global response to the surge of clade I mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa. During each session, participants expressed enthusiasm for the work of the FMC since its March 14, 2024 launch and have offered suggestions for future FMC sessions in late 2024 and 2025.
Enhancing the Global Mpox Response
Participants reaffirmed the importance of strengthening the global response to the mpox outbreak, following the August 13 Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declaration of a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security and the August 14 World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
WHO, Africa CDC, and countries experiencing a surge in clade I mpox cases have released plans to coordinate action to improve surveillance of the disease, provide clinical support for persons with mpox, and increase public health measures to prevent new infections. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya provided an overview of these plans, along with the epidemiology of the outbreak. FMC partners highlighted contributions and actions consistent with the goals of the WHO and Africa CDC response plans. Participants supported the sustained national, regional, and international coordination and financing needed to end the outbreak, reduce its severity, and support further capacity strengthening in affected countries.
Participants also welcomed the work that Gavi, the Pandemic Fund, and the Global Fund are doing in response to the mpox outbreak, including the activation of the former's First Response Fund, which is helping to secure the supply of mpox vaccine for affected countries in Africa.
Strengthening the Global Health Security Architecture and Financing
Participants highlighted the importance of strengthening global health security architecture to address the global health threats of today and tomorrow. FMC government representatives welcomed the agreement of amendments to International Health Regulations at the World Health Assembly in May 2024. Participants also expressed a shared desire to conclude successful Pandemic Accord negotiations in a timely manner to further bolster international collaboration in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. On the margins of the High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, FMC participants expressed a shared commitment to efforts to combat the global threat of AMR and further shared goals set during the AMR-focused FMC session hosted by the United Kingdom.
Participants also discussed efforts to ensure that the mpox outbreak response applies lessons learned and progress made in global health security financing following the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes ensuring a strong Pandemic Fund that continues to provide and galvanize predictable financing for pandemic prevention and preparedness, even in times of crisis. Participants welcomed the quick action taken by the Pandemic Fund to allocate $128.9 million for 10 countries to address mpox threats through efforts to strengthen capacities and capabilities in areas of cross-border surveillance and early warning systems; laboratories; and a skilled workforce; and the commitment to develop a mechanism to accelerate support to countries experiencing public health emergencies. This support is an important contribution to the implementation of the WHO and Africa CDC joint mpox Continental Preparedness and Response plan for Africa.
Participants look forward to a successful pledging event for the Fund on the margins of the G20 Health and Finance Ministerial, noting that to date, the United States and Germany have pledged a combined $720 million to the Pandemic Fund. Participants also highlighted the importance of leveraging surge financing mechanisms developed in response to COVID-19 and to continued support for evolving development banks to better support pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Participants expressed shared commitment to improving coordination among international partners and regional and country counterparts on mpox and future outbreaks, using lessons learned to inform the operationalization of the Coordinating Financial Mechanism under the amended International Health Regulations.
Incorporating Lessons from COVID-19 to Prevent the Next Pandemic
Participants emphasized the need for all countries to incorporate lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent, detect, and respond to future health threats. Participants acknowledged the value of both the COVID-19 Pandemic Prioritized Global Action Plan for Enhanced Engagement (GAP) and the FMC. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored that foreign ministries and diplomats have an essential role to play in strengthening global health security by mobilizing global political will, resources, and coordination around health threats, taking into account the broader political, economic, and societal contexts in which outbreaks emerge. Participants highlighted proposals for multiple FMC meetings and areas in the coming year, including sessions focused on: specific infectious disease threats, including influenza; strengthening global health training for diplomats; coordinating bilateral and multilateral health capacity building efforts in specific geographic regions; and improving strategic planning around global health security.
