Statement by President-elect Joe Biden on the Global Health Security Agenda Ministerial

This week, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise and ministers from around the world convene to discuss pandemic threats, the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) is more important than ever. Six years ago, the Obama-Biden White House launched the initiative and hosted the first GHSA summit at a time when we were confronting thousands of cases of Ebola in West Africa and the potential for explosive spread. Working with partners around the world, we controlled that threat and saved countless lives.

Whether it's Ebola or COVID-19, diseases do not respect borders, and the capacity to fight them must be strong, resilient, and accessible the world over. Preparing for these threats is both a global health priority and a national security imperative. That's the idea behind the GHSA — to be able to prevent, detect, and contain an outbreak before it can become a catastrophe. As President, I will work with our global partners, the World Health Organization, and civil society to prioritize and strengthen the GHSA to reduce the risk of future public health emergencies and, most importantly, save lives.