SDG: Global Health Progress launched to drive cross-sectoral collaborations

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) has launched Global Health Progress, a knowledge hub aimed at driving new and existing collaborations to support the SDGs, with a particular focus on Sustainable development goal number 17.

This knowledge hub collates industry efforts – from individual company programs to initiatives between multiple IFPMA member companies – to highlight contributions to the SDGs, visualize efforts, and enhance opportunities for further collaboration. Global Health Progress also shares information and best practices to support continual learning, drawing on complementary expertise to expand the reach and impact of programs.

“Global Health Progress, in providing a catalogue of projects and investments made by the innovative biopharmaceutical sector, offers a picture of the impressive and diverse array of ways the sector is supporting better health for all and progress toward achieving SDG3 and other related goals. We are proud to see many of the Business Council’s members among those featured,” said Ilze Melngailis, Senior Director, Business Council for the UN (BCUN) and Private Sector Engagement.

2020 marks the 10-year countdown until the SDG deadline. The global goals were launched five years ago as the blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for people and our planet. Since their launch, countries have made progress towards achieving the goals.

However, complex health and wellbeing issues remain – from poverty and inequality to conflict and climate change. Further, many countries are now faced with a double burden of disease – as they continue to tackle infectious disease challenges, they also battle with an increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – which present new issues in implementing effective and sustainable solutions for health. The innovative biopharmaceutical industry recognizes the need for new approaches to reach the 2030 deadline.

Global Health Progress highlights over 200 collaborations which use innovative approaches to tackle global health challenges. The collaborations are helping to bring different actors together – governments, academia, multilateral organizations, other private sector companies, local NGOs and more – to catalyze cross-sector initiatives to tackle health-related challenges, as well as address gender equality and education issues.

Githinji Gitahi, Amref Health Africa’s Group Chief Executive Officer, commented on the importance of multi-sectoral partnerships to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) “A successful UHC system cannot be achieved alone. Knowledge, expertise, and financial responsibilities must be pooled. Non-siloed partnerships, complementary infrastructure, capacity and funding buy-in from all stakeholders, including government authorities, civil society, patient groups, healthcare professionals and private sector partners are all paramount.”

A range of program strategies is being used – including capacity building, community awareness and health service delivery – to address systemic health issues and lay foundations to sustain program gains. In consultation with local actors,

IFPMA member companies are fostering local ownership and designing programs according to specific health needs and existing health system infrastructure. The collaborations are transforming traditional partnership approaches by working with a growing number of other business sectors to develop integrated solutions, including partnerships with generic manufacturers, telecommunication and insurance companies, and financial institutions.

IFPMA’s Director-General, Thomas Cueni, discussed the value of innovative approaches to collaboration to address global health challenges “If we are to overcome today’s most pressing global health challenges, we need some fresh, out-of-the-box thinking and innovative alliances that bring diverse sectors together to unlock greater value for organizations involved and greater impact for the beneficiaries on the ground. Our industry is committed to sharing knowledge and Global Health Progress is one way in which we are helping to drive new collaborations to strengthen healthcare systems. Effective partnerships will help our innovations to grow, reaching more patients worldwide.”

Article first published on https://www.africa-news.info/health/2019/10/25/sdg-global-health-progress-launched-to-drive-cross-sectoral-collaborations/