보건복지부 영문홈페이지

G20 Adopts Joint Declaration on International Cooperation

in the Health Sector to Address Health Inequalities

- Minister Cho KyooHong attends G20 Health Ministers' Meeting

and Joint Finance and Health Ministers' Meeting-

Health and Welfare Minister Cho KyooHong attended the 2024 G20 Health Ministers' Meeting and Joint Finance and Health Ministers' Meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, October 31. In discussions with representatives from various countries, he explored ways to enhance equity in healthcare access and achieve universal health coverage by building a sustainable and resilient global health system.

Hosted by Brazil, this year's G20 chair, the meetings took place in person, bringing together high-level officials from G20 member and invited countries, as well as major international health organizations.

During the Finance and Health Ministers' Meeting, Minister Cho emphasized the efficient use of resources for pandemic prevention, response, and preparedness. He underscored the importance of a balanced review of the characteristics, advantages, and limitations of various health crisis financing options.

At the Health Ministers' Meeting, Minister Cho highlighted the worsening global health inequalities and introduced Korea's efforts to address these challenges as a leading example. He cited Korea’s role as the WHO Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing, which provides training on biopharmaceutical production to strengthen the manufacturing capacities of low- and middle-income countries, thus promoting global health equity. Additionally, he drew attention to the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable populations, calling for international cooperation to better protect these groups.

The Health Ministers' Meeting joint declaration, the first in three years, will serve as an outcome of the upcoming G20 Summit and as a significant milestone for future international health meetings and negotiations.

Meanwhile, Minister Cho met with Saudi Arabia's Health Minister, Fahad Al-Jalajel, to share experiences and explore areas of mutual interest in health cooperation, including digital health and medical workforce training. They also discussed the ongoing revision of an MOU signed in 2016. In addition, he held talks with Andrew Gwynne, the UK's Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care, to discuss concrete follow-up actions, such as organizing a health dialogue later this year based on the MOU signed last year. In a separate meeting with Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), they reviewed past cooperation and agreed to strengthen their collaboration further.

Minister Cho stated, "Through this G20 Health Ministers' Meeting, we have confirmed the international community's strong commitment to addressing global health inequalities," adding, "The Korean government will continue to actively collaborate as part of the global health system to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage." ///