Mr President, Excellencies,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, as well as Monaco, Israel and the United States align themselves with this explanation of position. 

We would like to begin by warmly thanking South Africa for their able facilitation and gracious leadership in this process. We also thank the other members of the core group – Brazil, France, Indonesia, Norway, Senegal, and Thailand - for their great efforts and engagement to reach agreement on this resolution.

It was more than 2 years ago that we adopted the previous resolution. The world was only just starting to emerge from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Russia had just begun its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.   

Since then, we have seen many positive developments in the global health space. After three terrible years, the consequences of which the world still struggles with, the COVID 19 pandemic was declared ended.

Last year the UN membership came together at heads of state and government level to give political priority to health and adopt Political Declarations on the Fight Against Tuberculosis, on advancing Universal Health Coverage, and – as a first ever – on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response.

In Geneva, work was launched towards making the world a safer place by negotiating binding provisions in a Pandemic Agreement and by revision of the International Health Regulations.

We have also taken great strides forward on global solidarity and support for health and health systems:

The EU has mobilised a total of more than €53.7 billion to help partner countries cope with the COVID-19 health emergency.

Including by providing almost €200 million in medical and personal protective equipment, donating half a billion vaccines and exporting another 3.1 billion vaccines.

The EU has also provided €1.7 billion in R&D investment into COVID 19 vaccines, 28% of the global total.

The EU has already pledged €735 million to the new Pandemic Fund. The first call for proposals was a resounding success and further calls are under preparation.  Beyond health emergencies, Team Europe has stepped up contributions to the Global Fund with EU and EUMS pledging €715 million or almost half of all pledges last year.

The EU has also invested €8.2 billion to support international collaborations on health research and innovation, including more than €140 million in 2024 alone to accelerate vaccine research, clinical trials, and the development of effective treatments in vulnerable countries.

In 2022 the EU also adopted an ambitious new Global Health Strategy, and we have doubled down on supporting our partners strengthen UHC and partners’ health systems.

Through the Global Gateway and Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (‘MAV+’), with an initial €1.3 billion backing, we have supported regional and local manufacturing and equitable access to quality, safe, effective and affordable health products in line with SDG target 3.8,  in Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and elsewhere. The first mRNA facility opened in Rwanda in late 2023.  

Excellencies, despite positive progress and concerted efforts, dire and daunting challenges remain in achieving SDG 3, especially in  Africa, in  the least developed countries, in fragile and conflict-ridden countries.

Looking ahead, achieving Universal Health Coverage remains our primary goal, building resilient and equitable health systems able to provide essential public health functions and health services also during health emergencies. All the while prioritising the needs of those most marginalised and vulnerable, those left furthest behind. 

This spring we start work towards the High Level Meeting on AMR to reinforce global commitment to combatting the growing global crisis and health threat of antimicrobial resistance.  Addressing the challenges of human, animal and ecosystem health using the OneHealth approach is essential, including in tackling the root causes of pandemics.

We welcome the fact that this resolution calls on all States to implement and reinforce the One Health approach, taking into account the guidelines of the Quadripartite. We hope that this will inspire all States to incorporate such ambitious measures, relating to prevention, into their domestic policies as well as into international agreements.

Mr President, Excellencies

While global health is a high priority for the EU and its Member States, this process has not been without its hiccups. 

The EU tabled an amendment to delete ‘unhindered access’ from OP22. This should come as no surprise, as was explained in the presentation of the amendment. We continue to dissociate from OP22, and for the same reasons as we dissociate from the term ‘universal’ in PP36.  

We also continue to dissociate from uncaveated references to technology transfer in paragraphs PP29, and OP6. The UN does not condone forced or illegal transfer of technology, in the interest of maintaining the right balance between access and innovation. Thus the EU position has been and remains that we should be able to agree that technology transfer has to be voluntary and on terms mutually agreed by the parties transferring and receiving technologies.

While large and comparatively strong countries can fend for themselves, in this respect, the UN underlining the principles of voluntary and mutually agreed terms is in the interest of, especially, other developing countries, countries in special situations, those with new or emerging innovation ecosystems. We do not agree with the wording used in these paragraphs and will continue to insist on the appropriate terminology.  While we showed flexibility in the interest of reaching consensus on PP47, OP4 OP7 and OP31, the EU position in future and other contexts, including the ongoing INB negotiations in Geneva, will continue to be to refer explicitly to the principles that technology transfer shall be voluntary and on mutually agreed terms.  

The EU has also repeatedly called for and supported language to reflect the devastation that war and armed conflict cause to health and health systems across the world. In this vein we welcome the inclusion the amendment put forward by Ukraine.   

We also align with the statement delivered by the United States and express our general dissatisfaction at the lack of ambitious language on gender equality in the text. 

Finally, the EU is fully and unreservedly committed to the overarching objective of the resolution, which is to enhance global cooperation on health and despite these concerns joins consensus on the text.

We will continue to work together with all members, in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora, in the WHO and at the UN, on the acute as well as long term challenges to global health.

In the short term, we call for the membership to prioritise and reinforce efforts to conclude the negotiations on the Pandemic Agreement as soon as possible, and look forward to engaging on the AMR political declaration in view of an ambitious outcome and global agenda for cooperation on health in the UN in the years to come.  

Thank you.