Global health

Finding solutions together
© Hans Roggen

Health challenges are increasingly international, multidimensional and complex. Yet, great inequality persists: around a third of the world’s population has no access to essential health services. These global health challenges, as well as new health threats such as COVID call for a more holistic and sustainable approach to health care and the health architecture.

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In line with these developments, the Global Health Strategy of the Netherlands aims to contribute in a coordinated and targeted way to improving public health around the world through better integrated and more innovative collaboration at various levels. It focusses on three priorities:

  • Strengthening the global health architecture and national health systems, including improved access to primary healthcare and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
  • Improving international pandemic preparedness and minimising cross-border health threats, including global access to medicines and health products and strengthened international action on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and zoonotic diseases policy.
  • Addressing the impact of climate change on public health, and vice versa by making healthcare more sustainable and climate-resilient through international action on climate, water and food.

Focus areas

The key focus areas of the Netherlands in the health sector are:

  • A World Health Organization (WHO) convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response 
  • International Health Regulations
  • Universal Health Coverage
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
  • Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Vaccination
  • Antimicrobial resistance
  • Non-communicable diseases
  • Health in emergencies

Geneva hub

The Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Geneva works on the priorities of the Dutch Global Health Strategy through close collaboration with the key international health institutions in Geneva:

  • The World Health Organization (WHO)
  • The UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
  • Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI)
  • The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM)