Club de Madrid and AHF Global Public Health Institute Co-Host High-Level Roundtable on Rebalancing Global Health

The Government of Zambia has taken a prominent role on the international stage by co-hosting a high-level roundtable on global health security alongside the Government of Spain, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Global Public Health Institute, and Club de Madrid. Held on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York City, the strategic dialogue convened global health leaders, policymakers, and civil society actors to address structural flaws in international health governance. Titled "Rebalancing Global Health: Regional Platforms, Equity, and Fiscal Space for Public Health Security," the roundtable directly addressed the mounting challenges facing low- and middle-income countries. Speakers highlighted that while the world continues to face recurring infectious disease outbreaks and climate-linked health threats, official development assistance has experienced record declines. Furthermore, debilitating sovereign debt burdens continue to squeeze national health budgets, threatening hard-won public health gains across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. For Zambia, participation in such high-level forums underscores the nation's commitment to reforming international health architectures and amplifying African voices in global health diplomacy. The discussions placed special emphasis on strengthening regional platforms—such as the Africa CDC—to bridge the gap between national governments and international bodies. Such regional mechanisms are viewed as critical for ensuring equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and emergency response capabilities without relying entirely on traditional, often unpredictable donor paradigms. The timing of the roundtable coincided with vital global negotiations, including efforts to finalize the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement. As international negotiators race to secure equitable frameworks before upcoming deadlines, Zambian leadership emphasi