Rebuilding Trust and Reshaping Global Health Finance: H20 Summit Lays Groundwork for G20 Health Agenda
From June 19 to 20, global leaders in health and development converged in Geneva for the annual Health20 (H20) Summit. The high-level event, organized by the G20 Health & Development Partnership and co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), brought together G20 policymakers, international health experts, and key private and public sector stakeholders to reimagine the future of global health and finance.
Held against a backdrop of geopolitical instability, widening health inequities, economic volatility, and funding shortfalls in international development aid, the 2024 H20 Summit offered a timely platform for collaborative dialogue. This year’s theme—“Reimagining partnerships & building back public trust in global health”—set the stage for conversations on the transformation of health systems to become more resilient, inclusive, and financially sustainable in the years ahead.
A Pivotal Year for Global Health and G20 Leadership
The 2024 Summit marks the conclusion of the first full cycle of G20 meetings, which began in 1999 as a forum for global economic dialogue among finance ministers and central bank governors from major developed and emerging economies. With the next G20 health policy cycle scheduled to begin in 2026 under the leadership of the United States, the Geneva summit served as a critical waypoint for shaping the future direction of global health priorities.
Since the inception of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting in 2017, the H20 Summit has grown into a central convening space that links public health advocacy with high-level policy and investment strategy. The outcomes of this year’s two-day deliberations will directly feed into two pivotal events: the United Nations General Assembly’s fourth high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in September, and the G20 Health Ministers’ and Leaders’ Summits to be held in South Africa this November.
WHO Emphasizes the Need for New Health Paradigms
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, opened the summit with a keynote address that underscored the importance of shifting away from outdated aid-dependent models toward more self-reliant, domestically financed health systems.
“Severe disruptions to funding and changing disease burdens require new partnerships and approaches,” Dr. Tedros said. “WHO is working with all health and development partners, and supporting the G20, to help countries pivot from aid dependency to greater self-reliance in mobilizing domestic resources to deliver the health services their people need.”
Other distinguished speakers included:
- H.E. Dr. Jaleela bint Alsayed Jawad Hasan, Minister of Health, Kingdom of Bahrain
- H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General, Africa CDC
- H.E. Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari, Advisor to the Prime Minister for Public Health Affairs, Qatar
- H.E. Prof. Orazio Schillaci, Minister of Health, Italy
- Dr. Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, South Africa
- Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Key Reports Launched: Tools for Legislative Action and Investment
Two major policy instruments were unveiled at the summit:
- The Global Legislators Report on NCDs and Mental Health, designed as a toolkit to guide parliamentarians in implementing effective legislation and policy reforms to address preventable diseases and mental health conditions.
- The Health Taxonomy Report, which introduces a new conceptual framework to align governments, investors, and companies on health financing standards. This report aims to fill a long-standing gap in health investment by creating a common language and shared criteria for evaluating the impact of health-related capital expenditures.
The taxonomy report is especially significant in the wake of the World Health Assembly’s recent adoption of a landmark health financing resolution, emphasizing the urgent need for strategic investment frameworks that transcend traditional funding mechanisms.
Elevating Health Financing and Public-Private Partnerships
The H20 Summit’s agenda reflected growing consensus that sustainable progress in global health cannot be achieved without greater involvement of the private sector and a clearer distinction between health funding (short-term, operational support) and health financing (long-term, capital investment).
Dr. Agnes Soucat, Director of Health and Social Protection at Agence Française de Développement, emphasized this distinction, stating: “We must differentiate between health funding and health financing. A health taxonomy already exists for operational costs but not for capital costs, which is what investors are most interested in.”
The Health Taxonomy Report directly addresses this challenge by proposing a unified framework that appeals to both financial institutions and public-sector actors, offering potential pathways for future public-private collaboration.
Spotlight on NCDs and Mental Health: A Growing Global Crisis
Noncommunicable diseases—such as cancer, cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and chronic respiratory illnesses—currently account for over 43 million deaths each year. The growing burden of NCDs is not only straining healthcare systems but also threatening long-term economic productivity and global development goals.
Compounding this crisis is the global mental health epidemic. Mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, psychosis, and self-harm now affect nearly 1 billion people worldwide, posing substantial challenges to public health and economic security.
The NCD and mental health legislative report launched at the H20 Summit offers actionable recommendations for closing the financing gap. It encourages legislators to craft evidence-based policy, prioritize health spending, and integrate mental health into broader development strategies.
H.E. Dr. Jaleela bint Alsayed Jawad Hasan praised the report, saying:
“I welcome the NCDs and Mental Health Global Legislators Report launched at the H20 Summit. It is a timely contribution that demonstrates the role of parliamentarians in translating health commitments into lasting impact. As global health systems adapt to complex and evolving challenges, the Kingdom of Bahrain is advancing a model grounded in inclusive governance, robust legislation, and strategic investment.”
From Advocacy to Implementation
The Health20 Summit has evolved into a central forum for shaping health policy at the highest levels of international governance. With the intersection of finance and public health increasingly recognized as vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Summit’s role is no longer simply advisory—it is catalytic.
As the global community prepares for the next round of high-level meetings at the UN and G20 levels, the H20 Summit’s outputs will play a critical role in influencing discussions on resource mobilization, fiscal sustainability, innovation in health infrastructure, and the alignment of global priorities.
With a renewed focus on accountability, cross-sector partnerships, and public trust, the H20 Summit has reaffirmed its mission: to ensure that health remains a cornerstone of development, equity, and global stability in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.
