This year, Japan will host the G7 Summit in Hiroshima from May 19–21, 2023. Ahead of the G7 Hiroshima Summit, the Lancet has published commentary from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on “Human security and universal health coverage: Japan’s vision for the G7 Hiroshima Summit.”
In this piece, Prime Minister Kishida highlights Japan’s global health priorities, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to human security and universal health coverage (UHC) and emphasizing three main focuses for his global health vision toward the G7 Hiroshima Summit:
- Strengthening global health architecture
- Advancement of UHC toward the post-COVID-19 era
- Promotion of health technology innovation
Prime Minister Kishida also stresses the obstacles to this global health vision, and how ending ongoing major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria can help the world meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
“Health systems must be able to effectively respond to and overcome health challenges to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. These challenges include infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases…”
He continues his remarks by noting that COVID-19 and the threat of infectious diseases have exposed the need for further focus on policies, governance, and financing to enhance global health architecture and that innovation is necessary to enable rapid research and development of medical countermeasures, both of which are key to achieving UHC.
Related Content:
- Read more on Prime Minister Kishida’s 2023 G7 global health priorities in the Lancet.
- For more on the G7 global health priorities, visit JCIE’s Hiroshima G7 Global Health Task Force page.