The Group of Twenty, or G20, has emerged as a strong multilateral discussion board for cooperation between superior and rising economies. The member nations account for 85% or extra of worldwide GDP and serve two-thirds of the worldwide inhabitants. The G20 is dedicated to selling and fostering coverage coordination to realize international financial stability, sustainable progress, and forestall future crises.

The agenda of 2017, which included strengthening health-care techniques, lowering malnutrition, health-crisis administration and scaling up the battle in opposition to pandemics, has been expanded by India to incorporate rising trans-border and trans-sectoral challenges corresponding to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and affect of local weather change on well being. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that India’s G20 Presidency will likely be inclusive, action-oriented and decisive. The theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future” relies on India’s philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, and is a catchphrase for individuals the world over to collectively work in direction of constructing a more healthy post-pandemic world. India’s present G20 Presidency is tasked with rebuilding, re-energising, and recalibrating the worldwide well being challenges within the post-pandemic context.

The Health Working Group conferences beneath the Indian Presidency sought to underscore the crucial for a extra strong well being structure on the international, regional and nationwide ranges. This is an pressing crucial so as to have the ability to improve an efficient, responsive and accountable well being system that’s geared to stop, detect, and shortly reply to epidemics, pandemics, and different well being emergencies.
The First Health Working Group Meeting in January 2023 targeted on well being techniques strengthening, in particular on built-in surveillance fashions that undertake a One Health strategy, the Quadripartite’s [i.e. the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)] technical position in One Health implementation, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) convening position in well being emergencies, an applicable design for multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral AMR surveillance and enabling the inclusion of antimicrobial stewardship in National Action Plans.

The Second Health Working Group Meeting in April 2023 was wider in scope, inviting nations and worldwide organisations to contribute to India’s G20 Presidency’s proposed convergence of parallel initiatives within the Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (HEPPR) agenda. As the preliminary areas for convergence, the important job areas included One Health primarily based collaborative surveillance techniques, monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Antimicrobial Consumption (AMC). These obtained unstinted assist and appreciation from the taking part nations and worldwide organisations just like the UNICEF and others.

These must be understood within the mild of the necessity for higher alignment with the Pandemic Fund’s core job of constructing long-term strategic investments to strengthen well being techniques for pandemic readiness and the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response. India can be deeply invested within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a WHO conference or settlement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and related amendments to International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005.

The Third Health Working Group Meeting that was just lately held in Hyderabad was important for its deep-dive discussions into the proposed convergence train. The focus was on One Health-based early warning system that’s supported by laboratory networks and expert well being workforce; international AMR and AMC surveillance platforms; and, end-to-end pandemic administration IT platforms.

CONVERGENCE MATTERS
The Covid-19 pandemic has delivered to the fore the restrictions in response capacities of stakeholders to successfully mount a time-sensitive response. India’s G20 Presidency is constructing consensus in direction of converging stakeholders, devices, and initiatives within the wider panorama of HEPPR (Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response). These stakeholders work together and intersect at international, regional, and nationwide ranges. National degree convergence entails working extra successfully throughout governments and social constructions to allow the response equipment that may stop, put together, detect, and reply to well being emergencies. At the regional and international ranges, the duty is to streamline and strengthen mechanisms for prevention, preparedness, detection and response that construct on underlying belief, cooperation, solidarity, and accountability amongst governments and different international well being stakeholders, together with the UN companies, regional public well being institutes, and different worldwide associate organisations. G20 member states shall play a important position within the mapping train that could be a important start line. 

The outcomes of such workouts shall be necessary elements to the event of the Global Medical Countermeasures Coordination Platform whereas contributing to the discussions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. This will eradicate duplication of sources whereas averting the lack of essential time.

India’s G20 Presidency beneath the visionary management of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is uniquely positioned to bridge the efforts and contributions of the G20 member states on the convergence train and the ensuing shaping of a roadmap.

Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar is Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.