"Global health is a team sport": World Health Summit in Berlin

Global health is a collaborative effort, as explained by Prof Dr Axel R. Pries, the president of the World Health Summit (WHS) in Berlin, at the recent summit. The health policy must now rely on multilateral cooperation, he emphasized. For six years now, Pries has been leading the WHS. He previously served as dean and board member of Charité, a renowned medical school and hospital in Berlin.

At the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026 in Nairobi in April, Pries warned that the world is facing a "political virus" rather than just a virus. He explained that many countries are increasingly looking at health from a national or even nationalist perspective. This political virus is a major obstacle to finding effective solutions, according to Pries.

The Covid pandemic has clearly shown that problems cannot be tackled purely at the local level. It has affected mental health, non-communicable diseases, and many other areas. To address these challenges, Pries believes that we need to revive multilateral mechanisms and give them new momentum. Although Europe should not be the sole leader, it has the potential to be one of the leading actors in global health, thanks to its strong hub for medical innovation, research, and the presence of major companies in various sectors.

Germany, as the largest economy in Europe, is ideally positioned to lead the way, Pries noted. It has much to offer in terms of science and application, particularly in the medical sector. However, Germany can only do this as part of a broader ensemble, working equally with other countries, such as France and the United Kingdom. Denmark and companies like Novo are also major contributors on the global market.

The US stepping back from global health policy and its increasing dependencies on China are significant factors in shaping the new global order, according to Pries. If common strategies are not agreed upon, global health issues will become very difficult to manage. Europe, with its diversity, can take a long time to address threats jointly, but it also benefits from the richness that diversity brings.

It is crucial to tackle this issue vigorously to avoid strategic dependencies in the health sector that could only be corrected later at great cost.

Germany's Health Security Act, which aims to enhance the country's resilience to global health crises, is seen as a positive step by Pries. However, he stresses that health issues can only be solved through multilateral partnerships. Every country needs to share critical goods, such as medicines and vaccines, to ensure a functional chain.

This draft law is important because it forces like-minded countries to reach sensible agreements and establish a network, ideally under the umbrella of the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO). Pries is skeptical about bilateral agreements on health data exchange, as they often exploit existing power imbalances and do not result in fair arrangements.