WHO RC75 - EU Statement - Item 9 – A strategy on harnessing innovation for public health in the WHO European Region 2025–2030

Chair,

Regional Director, 

Colleagues,

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.

The EU and its Member States support the Strategy on Harnessing Innovation for Public Health in the WHO European Region. This strategy is timely, as Member States face the lasting impacts of the pandemic, ageing populations, chronic diseases, and environmental challenges. It provides a regional framework to coordinate efforts and avoid fragmentation.

If we want to ensure that our health systems continue to deliver high-quality care for all, the effective use of innovation is not optional, but essential. 

Yet, we recognize that many promising innovations take considerable time before they benefit the patient or show a positive effect on health economics on a system level. Others never reach development or implementation at all, or are not scalable. In addition, the benefits of innovation are not evenly distributed. Health inequities remain unacceptably high and vulnerable groups face barriers to accessing innovative health solutions. 

Too often, innovation pathways are reactive and supply-driven: regulators, Health Technology Assessment agencies, and public payers have to evaluate what is presented to them by developers, but there is only limited pro-active initiative on the types of innovation most needed for public health. 

This results in gaps, such as insufficient progress in areas like NCDs, mental health, climate change impacts, heart and renal failures, rare diseases and antimicrobial resistance, including the well-documented lack of new antibiotics. We must also look beyond pharmaceuticals and medical technologies. Organisational and cultural innovation, for example in workforce models and task shifting, up to the well-monitored integration of quality assured self-care practices, can be equally valuable. We underline the importance of a life-cycle approach to innovation prioritizing equity and accessibility, as well as evidence-informed decisions. This requires:

1.  Objective identification of the highest unmet health and medical needs, with health equity at the core;

2.  Fit-for-purpose incentives to steer implementation research and development towards these needs while ensuring affordability and sustainable and equitable access; 

3. Approval and reimbursement processes that assess new products based on their clinical evidence and real-world performance in addressing priority needs and reducing health inequities; and

4. Common approaches to assessing the impact of innovations on public health and equity of access to care, as well as their environmental impact and economic viability.

This represents a major shift in how we work. 

At the same time, we recognize that innovation should not be understood solely as the pursuit of new high-tech solutions. Many pressing public health challenges can be effectively addressed not through novelty, but through the consistent application of established, evidence-based measures.

Finally, better stakeholder engagement and dedicated resources are needed to ensure that innovation reduces, rather than widens, health disparities around the region. The principles of evidence-based decision-making, transparency, and appropriate governance of private sector engagement must be at the core of this strategy. Its implementation must be in line with EPW2 to ensure consistency and maximise impact. This also requires flexibility, cross-sectoral policies and continuous monitoring with clear targets, as well as maintaining the standards of safety and effectiveness and ensuring robust methodologies. We welcome the idea of promoting collaborative platforms to accelerate innovation, foster open dialogue and mutual learning. 

Chair, the EU and its Member States stand ready to work with the WHO and all partners to ensure that innovation truly serves the health of all in the European Region.

Thank you.