altGeneva , 4 July 2017 – Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, will lead the WHO delegation participating in the G20 Summit taking place on 7-8 July 2017, in Hamburg, Germany. The 2017 G20 meeting is the first time that the international forum will include a comprehensive health track among its deliberations. The health ministers of the G20 countries met in Berlin, 19-20 May 2017, ahead of the Hamburg Summit as part of the health track development.  

Dr Tedros will participate in all G20 sessions during the Summit, including deliberations on priorities for health, global growth, trade, sustainable development, climate, energy, partnership with Africa, migration, digitalization, women’s empowerment and employment. He will meet with heads of state and leaders of international organizations to advance global health goals for universal health coverage, health security, health impacts of climate change and combatting antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Tedros will also address participants in the Global Citizen Festival on 6 July about the importance of universal health coverage.  WHO estimates that one in 17 people around the world do not have access to basic health services, including vaccines, maternal and child care, or health screenings to catch diseases early when they are most treatable.