Position Paper of the Global Health Hub Germany's Steering Commitee for the German federal elections 2025
For the early federal elections on 23 February 2025, the steering committee of the Global Health Hub Germany has published a Position paper that formulates key recommendations for the future German government's global health policy.
On the occasion of the early German federal elections on 23 February 2025, the Steering Committee of the Global Health Hub Germany, with the exception of the Parliamentarians stakeholder group, drafted a Position paper in December 2024 that formulates key recommendations and demands for the global health policy of the future German government. It builds on the feedback on the mid-term review of the German government's global health strategy from the non-governmental sector and calls for a clear prioritisation of global health goals for the coming legislative period.
The core demands are:
1. Germany as a strong health partner: taking responsibility
Germany should expand its key role in global health policy, strengthen the WHO and provide more intensive support for multinational health initiatives such as Gavi, the Global Fund and CEPI.
2. Health promotion and disease prevention
Sustainable measures to combat pandemics, antibiotic resistance and non-communicable diseases are essential. Maternal and child health in particular, as well as research into new medicines and vaccines, should be prioritised.
3. Taking a holistic approach to the environment, climate change and health
Climate change is a key threat to health. The resilience of health systems must be strengthened and climate protection measures integrated into health programmes.
4. Sustainably strengthening healthcare systems worldwide
Germany should ensure non-discriminatory, universal access to healthcare services, particularly in the poorest regions of the world. Investments in healthcare personnel and local drug production are important milestones in this regard, for example.
5. Health protection in times of cross-border and cross-sectoral health risks
Germany should continue to engage in global health issues from the perspective of the One Health approach, which links humans, animals and the environment. Pandemic prevention should be further promoted and strengthened through an international pandemic agreement.
6. Research, innovation and digitalisation for global health
The digitalisation of the healthcare system and investment in innovative research should be driven forward in order to give everyone access to healthcare services.
7. Promoting innovative financing mechanisms for global health
Germany should expand innovative financing models such as Debt2Health and the International Finance Facility for Vaccines (IFFIm) and mobilise additional resources through public-private partnerships. In this way, sustainable and effective financing structures can be created for global health initiatives.
With these demands, the stakeholder groups international organisations, youth, foundations, think tanks, business, science and civil society of the Global Health Hub Germany Steering Committee appeal to political parties and the future German government to place these issues at the centre of their election programmes in order to strengthen global health policy in the long term.