From November 18 to 20, 2020, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will be participating in the official United States Delegation to the Sixth Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Ministerial, hosted this year by the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand in a live virtual format. USAID is coming together with interagency colleagues from across the U.S. Government — including representatives from the Departments of State, Health and Human Services, and Defense, and others — as well as delegations from the governments of dozens of partner countries, non-governmental organizations, and international agencies, to discuss critical issues related to global health security.

The pandemic of COVID-19 has demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, that the health security of all countries is intrinsically linked. It is imperative to leverage the response to the ongoing pandemic to build, maintain, and strengthen health security — both at home and abroad — for the long-term.

The GHSA is a unique, global initiative that brings together multisectoral governmental and private-sector partners to drive high-level policy and technical commitment, action, and coordination to develop local capacities to prevent future outbreaks where they occur. The U.S. Government has invested in the GHSA from its beginning in 2014. In 2018, the governments of all GHSA member countries renewed their commitment for a new phase, known as “GHSA 2024.” The U.S. Government remains firmly committed to the GHSA as a premier model of global engagement on health security. The ability of governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector around the world to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious-disease threats protects both the security of the global community and the American homeland.

For over a decade, USAID has invested more than $1.1 billion to ensure the necessary networks and institutions are in place to prevent, detect, and respond to epidemic-prone emerging and endemic disease threats wherever they exist. These investments and partnerships have improved the global capacity to contain outbreaks at their source and minimize their impact, which allows the world to prepare for emerging threats rapidly and effectively, including the current pandemic of COVID-19.

As the global community convenes this week to recognize the importance of this moment for collective health security, the U.S. Government encourages the governments of other GHSA member countries to announce new concrete commitments that accelerate progress towards the GHSA 2024 global target that more than 100 countries will make demonstrated improvements in five technical areas by 2024.