European perspectives on global health: a policy glossary

Introduction
Global health touches the life of every <strong>European</strong> citizen
Health requires an active process whereby individuals,
communities and societies create and maintain wellbeing
and the conditions in which it can be attained.
It is a co-production of many actors at every level of
society.
Global health refers to those health issues which
transcend national boundaries and governments and
calls for actions to influence the global forces that
determine the health of people. It requires new forms
of governance at national and international level
which seek to include a wide range of actors.
A <strong>European</strong> approach to global health must be
based on three fundamental values to protect
and improve health as :
1. A human right
2. A key dimension of human security and
development
3. A global public good
Global health concerns all <strong>European</strong>s – it is not
someone else’s problem. Globalisation has become
part of the life of every <strong>European</strong> through the
“globalisation” of everyday life and part of the
responsibility of every politician, as very few policy
issues remain only national or <strong>European</strong> in scope.
Until very recently global health seemed far removed
from the policy challenges facing Europe – it was dealt
with in the context of development aid. Europe has felt a
strong moral obligation to address problems in developing
countries and the <strong>European</strong> Union as a whole is the largest
development donor, providing about 55 % of all aid and
65 % of grant aid. Within Official Development Assistance
( ODA ), programmes address issues such as the spread of
HIV / AIDS, access to reproductive health, poverty-related
diseases as well as some of the key health determinants,
such as the education of girls.
But with the SARS and Avian Influenza outbreaks has
come a realisation that global health is also about
interdependence. New initiatives have been started
to make <strong>European</strong> citizens safer from global disease
outbreaks, and the consciousness is growing among
politicians and citizens that major investments will
need to be made both at home and abroad. The
activities that have been launched to prepare for a
potential Influenza pandemic are a good example.
Global health is also about health risks of a noninfectious
nature, such as the global spread of obesity
and the threats to health arising from our way of
life that international companies and media are
exporting across the world. Increasingly, international
cooperation is sought on issues such as tobacco
control, diet and physical activity, and the use of
substances harmful to health.
Global health is not only about disease, it also means
taking responsibility for the determinants of health in
new ways. For example, <strong>European</strong> politicians need to
understand how farm subsidies in Europe can harm
health in poor countries, and <strong>European</strong> consumers need
to be aware of the horrendous health conditions under
which many consumer goods are produced. There is
a growing understanding that health is part of other
policies that try to manage globalisation : trade policy,
security policy and foreign affairs.
Global health is also about people – about the many
citizens of the world still living on less than a dollar a day,
having to cope with disease and abject poverty. It is about
solidarity and global citizenship and for this reason Europe
must embark on a process to explain to its citizens the
importance of taking an active role in global health and
global governance for health. Europe cannot be an island
in an interdependent world ; it must help shape a world
where others have access to health and health care as part
of their human rights and human dignity.
Finally, global health is about extraordinary opportunities.
For example, global pharmaceutical and information
technology companies based in Europe hold the key to
delivering great improvements to the lives of millions,
if only their creativity could be applied to the problems
of the poor. We have the potential to address many
problems with resources that are minor if compared with
Global Health Policy Glossary
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