President von der Leyen at the annual meeting of the US National Academy of Medicine

On 19 October, Commission Ursula President von der Leyen (pictured) gave a speech at the annual meeting of the US National Academy of Medicine. “Global crises need global solutions. Health and climate change are two areas where Europe is willing and able to lead. And they are two areas where a strong transatlantic alliance has the potential to make a real difference. I believe it is now time to revitalize global health co-operation,”  she said.

The president mentioned the launch of the European Green Deal as one of the first initiatives launched after she came into office, as well as the efforts under the Coronavirus Global Response and COVAX Facility.

“Just as with mitigation and adaptation policies for climate change, we must focus on the same principles for health. The crisis exposed the lack of global investment in preparing for pandemics. And it showed us the need to strengthen our capacity to respond to epidemics, emerging diseases and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. This is a lesson that we are already heeding here in Europe. [We also need systemic change since challenges] on a global scale cannot be fixed with a single intervention or a silver bullet. It requires change involving government, industry, researchers and all of us as individuals.”

Ursula von der Leyen also underlined the need to use and respect science: “Like many of you, I am concerned about the erosion in trust in science in some quarters. But science is also making a popular comeback. The world has seen its true value for policymaking and for communicating complex public health decisions. We must continue to stand up for science - so science can help us find and explain solutions to our global challenges.”

Read the full speech online.

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