European perspectives on global health: a policy glossary

Conclusion
A <strong>European</strong> Strategy for Global Health
A <strong>European</strong> strategy for global health is a
process of engaging all elements of society
in dialogue to raise awareness and develop a
common commitment to values and goals for
action to address the threats and opportunities
posed by global health.
The <strong>European</strong> Partnership for Global Health aims
to engage all elements of society across Europe to
work together to ensure health at home and abroad
through : strengthening global health security,
promoting global health equity, and enhancing good
governance for global health.
Such a strategy should tackle global health problems
that directly or indirectly threaten populations living in
Europe, global health problems which <strong>European</strong> policy
and actions make worse, and global health solutions to
which Europe can contribute. It would also explore new
governance structures involving cooperation between
countries and across sectors and new mechanisms for
financing global health.
It would aim to bind the new multitude of global
health actors to a common purpose. The willingness
and capacity of states to cooperate becomes a critical
dimension of transnational regimes for health – and
the Member States of the <strong>European</strong> Union bring longstanding
experience with a range of transnational
mechanisms to the table – from policy networks, open
coordination to binding agreements – which can serve
as examples at the global level.
This requires partnership among many different agencies
such as the <strong>European</strong> Commission, the <strong>European</strong>
Regional Office of the World Health Organization
( WHO ), the <strong>European</strong> Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control and <strong>European</strong> institutions representing private
sector industries, civil society and foundations. <strong>European</strong>
foundations have created a <strong>European</strong> Partnership
for Global Health to raise awareness at <strong>European</strong> and
national levels of global health issues, using their position
as a bridge between governments, industry and civil
society in Europe and in developing countries. They are
keen to work with the <strong>European</strong> Regional Office of WHO,
the <strong>European</strong> Commission, the Council of Europe, civil
society representatives and business partners to move
this agenda forward. Of primary importance are five
priority actions :
1. Europe should exercise leadership on
global health, by developing a <strong>European</strong>
Strategy for Global Health, to mobilise society and
establish goals and directions reflecting common
<strong>European</strong> values for health and global citizenship.
2. A statement of <strong>European</strong> values for
global health would be an important step
towards setting Europe’s global health agenda
and establishing mechanisms for global health
governance.
3. “Making globalisation work for everyone’s
health” should be the orientation of the
<strong>European</strong> strategy for global health. This
means a more engaged contribution of the EU and
of <strong>European</strong> countries to global health governance
and clear priorities for action on global health.
4. The new public health and consumer
protection policy should be strengthened
through a global dimension, and the directive
to include health in other policies needs to be
understood to include global health dimensions
such as the impact of the Common Agriculture
Policy, trade negotiations and foreign policy on
global health. The aim of establishing health in all
<strong>European</strong> Union policies must include global health.
5. Europe should promote the development
of a new framework of international laws
concerning all three dimensions of global health
( security, equity and governance ) based on health
as a human right and a global public good.
<strong>European</strong> foundations through the <strong>European</strong>
Foundation Centre and its <strong>European</strong> Partnership for
Global Health will engage partners throughout Europe
to move in this direction.
Global Health Policy Glossary
69