The UK, which holds the 2021 presidency of the G7 group of nations, aims to ‘unite leading democracies to help the world fight, and then build back better from coronavirus and create a greener, more prosperous future’. Ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Cornwall, on 3–4 June Oxford University will host the G7 Health Ministers’ Meeting, one of several Ministerial Tracks to run throughout the year, to discuss measures for strengthening global health security and improving resilience against future pandemics.

Despite progress on COVID-19 vaccines, more transmissible, and potentially more lethal, coronavirus variants threaten to draw out the pandemic. According to the World Health Organization, more than 700 million vaccine doses have been administrated globally, yet nearly 90% have gone to high-income countries, while low-income countries have received less than 1%. Meanwhile, recent cuts to the UK’s development assistance budget, which has been used to support national health systems in low-income countries, could undermine efforts to end the pandemic.

How should the UK use its presidency of the G7 to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? What should be the future of the global health agenda after COVID-19? This panel discussion brings together leading experts and policymakers in health security and biological preparedness to explore the challenges and opportunities for building a more effective global health architecture.

Please note: This event will be livestreamed via Zoom and YouTube. Find out more and register on the event webpage.