G20 meeting of health ministers focuses on combating global health risks

The first meeting of the G20 health ministers, with combating global health hazards as the focus, concluded here on Saturday.

A declaration themed "Together Today for a Healthy Tomorrow" has been made, noting health is key to the G20 presidency of Germany this year.

The ministers affirm their role in strengthening the political support to global health by putting it on the G20 agenda, according to the declaration.

They also state their support to the leading role of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in global health cooperation and their intention to intensify global action and cooperation to address ever-evolving challenges in the declaration.

"Dangerous diseases and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens do not stop at national borders. They cause unspeakable human suffering and can dramatically set back the social, economic and political development of whole countries," said German Health Minister Hermann Groehe.

The ministers have carried out a crisis management exercise, dealing with a simulative transnational deadly disease outbreak, during the two-day meeting. The representatives from the WHO and the World Bank have also taken part.

Germany took over the presidency of the G20, the group of 20 world's major economies, last December from China.