By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, JAN 16, 2023: THE 1st Health Working Group meeting under G20 India Presidency will be held from 18th - 20th January, 2023 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. In a significant milestone, India assumed presidency of the G20 on 1st December, 2022. India is currently part of the G20 Troika comprising Indonesia, India and Brazil, marking the first time that the troika is consisting of three developing and emerging economies.

Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that G20 India Presidency will be inclusive, action-oriented and decisive. The theme unveiled by Hon'ble Prime Minister: 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' enunciates India's philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. It is a clarion call to the world to collectively work towards building a healthier post-pandemic world.

The Health Track of the G20 India Presidency will comprise four Health Working Group (HWG) Meetings and one Health Ministerial Meeting (HMM). The meetings will be held in different locations across the country including Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Goa, Hyderabad (Telangana) and Gandhinagar (Gujarat), highlighting the Hon'ble Prime Minister's call to action to showcase India's rich and diverse cultures.

India plans to host a side event along with each HWG meeting to enrich, supplement and support G20 discussions. These include side events on Medical Value Travel and Digital Health; a workshop on collaborative research on drugs, diagnostics and vaccines; and a co-branded event on Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. The side event on Medical Value Travel will be held on the sidelines of the 1st meeting of HWG at Thiruvananthapuram, 18th -20th Jan 2023.

As chair of the G20 Presidency, India aims to continue and consolidate health priorities and key takeaways from previous presidencies while highlighting critical areas that require strengthening. India also aims to achieve convergence in discussions across various multilateral fora engaged in health cooperation and work towards integrated action. To this end, India has identified, the following three priorities for the G20 Health Track:

Priority I: Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response (with focus on One Health & AMR)

Priority II: Strengthening Cooperation in Pharmaceutical Sector with focus on Access and Availability to safe, effective, quality and Affordable Medical Countermeasures (Vaccines, Therapeutics and Diagnostics)

Priority III: Digital Health Innovations and Solutions to Aid Universal Health Coverage and Improve Healthcare Service Delivery

Thematic discussions related to the above priorities will be held across the HWG meetings. The meeting will be attended by representatives of G20 member countries, special invitee countries and relevant international organizations.