LISBON, PORTUGAL AND BERLIN, GERMANY | JUNE 15, 2020 – UNITE, the global parliamentarians network to end infectious diseases, and GHA – German Health Alliance, have announced a new partnership ahead UNITE’s Global Summit 2020 and World Health Summit 2020.

The two organisations collaborated with other stakeholders to successfully organize the first virtual webinar at the prestigious platform of the Global Health Hub Germany around “COVID19 and the future of SDGs”. The webinar is a first step in a close cooperation within the UN 2030 Agenda and the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Focusing on impacting on global health, health systems strengthening and universal health coverage (UHC), UNITE and GHA will actively engage in mutual work with focus on building capacity of parliamentarians, civil society, foundations, science, academia and the private sector towards the elimination of infectious diseases in their countries, regions and around the world.

“UNITE is delighted to be working with the German Health Alliance” said UNITE’s Founder and President Ricardo Baptista Leite, MD, MP. “Parliamentarians have an important role to play in fulfilling the SDGs. Together with GHA we can build partnerships with different stakeholders in sharing best practices for our policymakers and ensure more effective involvement with all relevant stakeholders.

“For the German Health Alliance it is a privilege to establish this cooperation with UNITE” mentioned Roland Göhde, GHA Chairman of the Board. “Not only since the coronavirus pandemic it has become obvious that ‘health in all policies’ is without alternative. As multisectoral initiative, we see an extraordinary potential in the partnership with UNITE for jointly contributing to this goal.”

Both UNITE and GHA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, confirming their commitment to working together in joint advocacy, awareness-raising, accountability promotion, political will mobilization and political leadership support to achieve the elimination of infectious diseases as a global threat by 2030.  

ABOUT UNITE

UNITE is an independent, non-profit, global network of 123 members of parliament from 57 countries. UNITE is committed to ensuring that no life is limited by infectious disease through unified political advocacy. UNITE’s global network of parliamentarians is divided into 10 Regional Chapters, each chaired by a parliamentarian leading political impact in that region. For more information please visit www.unitenetwork.org

ABOUT GHA – GERMAN HEALTH ALLIANCE

GHA, an initiative initially established jointly by the German government and BDI – Federation of German Industries and currently consisting of more than 100 member organisations comprising private sector, science & academia, NGOs & foundations, aims to connect actors from all sectors in health for sharing and employing expertise and competencies in fields of Global Health, especially focusing on Health System Strengthening, targeting to contribute to reaching SDG 3 and other health-related SDGs. For more information please visit www.gha.health