African academy hails EU global health resilience resolution

President of science body AAS welcomes push for “health sovereignty” in low- and middle-income countries

The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) has welcomed a European Parliament resolution calling for stronger global health resilience in non-EU partner countries, describing it as an important step towards addressing weaknesses in African health systems.

The resolution, adopted on 17 September, calls on the European Commission and EU member states to prioritise health sovereignty, local manufacturing and research capacity in partner countries, and to embed these principles in future EU funding and cooperation frameworks.

Although non-binding, the resolution signals that the EU is open to supporting health research in low- and middle-income countries. "Research, higher education and academic partnerships are core components of resilient health systems", and local research is essential for solving local health problems, it says.