Addressing the GAVI Global Summit in Brussels, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola said that diseases don’t stop at borders and neither can our response.
Good afternoon to you all. Thank you for being here. Thank you to GAVI and to the Gates Foundation for the essential work you do. To all those putting their money where their mouths are. We all understand what’s at stake. Not just scientists and health experts – all of us. We have seen how quickly the world can change. And if there’s one thing we learned in recent years, it’s that what happens in one part of the world can affect every one of us. Diseases don’t stop at borders, and neither can our response. Last March, the European Parliament had the privilege to host Krystal Birungi, an entomologist from Uganda. It was truly eye-opening for me and all the audience. She explained how over the last decades, GAVI has vaccinated over a billion children and the Global Fund has saved over 65 million lives, by reducing the death rate due to AIDS, TB and malaria by 63%. The job, she said, is not yet done. And without further investment in global health, we stand to lose all the gains made. These investments have a multiplier effect that goes beyond health: they build economies, they change lives, create markets and a global workforce for the future. It’s health and prosperity as two sides of the same coin. Today is a call to action. A call for leadership. A call that the European Parliament heard and acts on. This summit could not have come at a more important moment. Health organisations, foundations and governments everywhere are being asked to do more with less. Needs are increasing, but resources are not. Now is the time to step up. What we see in this room today gives us hope. We see people from every continent, from all sectors – public and private – united by that same purpose. By a shared belief that when we come together, there is no limit to what we can achieve. The European Union has long been a global leader in health, and in expanding access to vaccines. And the European Parliament has consistently pushed for stronger, smarter, fairer investments. Because we know that health is the foundation on which everything else is built: peace, prosperity and stability. That also includes embracing the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence. AI is already changing how vaccines are developed and delivered. And we’re only at the beginning. Europe understands that potential. We are supporting AI through research funding, and we are creating the conditions for it to be used safely, effectively and in ways people can trust. Ultimately, none of this is possible alone. We do it through partnership: with the private sector, with foundations, with international organisations. Our work with GAVI and the Gates Foundation is a powerful example of that partnership in action. From malaria to cholera to rotavirus, your incredible work is saving countless lives and driving innovation. This is what global health leadership looks like. But we can’t stop now. So what we decide – and pledge – today truly matters. It’s a chance to show, together, that we are rising to meet this moment. To show who we are, and what we stand for. Thank you.