The World Health Summit (WHS) 2025 commenced in Berlin on Sunday, marking the beginning of a three-day global dialogue on the most pressing health challenges of the decade.
Bringing together more than 4,000 delegates from over 140 countries, including heads of state, scientists, civil society leaders, and representatives from the private sector, this year’s summit carries the theme “Taking Responsibility for Health in a Fragmenting World.”
Germany, the host nation, set the tone for the summit with a major financial announcement: a €1 billion commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The announcement came from Reem Alabali Radovan, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, who emphasized her government’s resolve to sustain global health investments despite domestic budget pressures.
“Despite painful budget cuts and enormous pressure to save, we have succeeded in providing one billion euros for global health protection,” said Radovan.
“Germany will continue to protect people around the world from disease. Every euro invested in the Global Fund strengthens health systems and saves lives.”
Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, lauded Germany’s pledge as a powerful show of solidarity.
He said, “With innovations like AI-powered TB detection and smart mosquito nets, we have the tools; now we need the political will. Germany’s latest contribution sets a strong foundation as we move toward the final pledges at our Eighth Replenishment Summit,”
A major research highlight of WHS 2025 came with the launch of the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, unveiled exclusively at the summit and published in The Lancet.
The study shows that while global mortality rates continue to decline overall, deaths among young people and young adults are rising — exposing widening health inequities.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes now account for nearly two-thirds of global deaths.
Researchers estimate that nearly half of all deaths and disabilities could be prevented through lifestyle and policy interventions targeting high blood sugar and obesity.
Dr Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine, explains: “The Global Burden of Disease 2023 findings underscore that data is the foundation for informed action. While global mortality continues to decline, persistent inequities and rising deaths among youth in several regions reveal critical gaps in progress. Turning these insights into effective prevention, equitable access to care, and stronger health systems is essential to ensure that all people can live longer, healthier lives.”
The GBD 2023 involved contributions from over 16,500 researchers worldwide, making it the most comprehensive assessment of global health trends to date.
In one of the summit’s key plenary sessions titled “Transforming the Global Health Architecture – Rethinking Governance and Financing Models,” leaders urged an overhaul of the way global health is governed and funded.
Speakers warned that declining aid and growing debt burdens are undermining essential health programs in low- and middle-income countries.
“When people get sick, it is a tragedy, but it is also an economic burden. They will contribute less economically and will depend more on state services,” stressed Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.
“I would like to see governments in wealthy countries recognize that health, development, and economics are intertwined – and that debt relief, international tax cooperation, and reform of the international financial architecture are critical to achieving better health and development outcomes for all,”
Byanyima’s call for a fairer global health and financial system resonates strongly with the overall goal of the World Health Summit.
“The World Health Summit comes at exactly the right time, as the world urgently needs concrete solutions to enhance cooperation for health and build sustainable, equitable health systems,” says Carsten Schicker, CEO of the World Health Summit.
“With the 2025 Summit, we want to set a new course – making the WHS 2025 the starting point for a renewed global health architecture that drives collaboration, equity, and lasting impact,”
The 2025 Summit features 75 sessions, over 400 speakers, and more than 85 side meetings, covering issues ranging from pandemic preparedness and climate-linked health threats to digital innovation and sustainable financing.
Founded in 2009 and hosted annually in Berlin by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the World Health Summit has become the world’s leading forum for global health diplomacy, uniting politics, science, and civil society toward a common goal — a healthier, more equitable future.
