PARIS, April 7 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for defending multilateralism in global health governance amid a shaken international order, at the One Health Summit, which concluded the same day in Lyon.
"Today is an opportunity to look at the world as it is. A world in crisis. A world at war ... the challenges posed by global health make coordination and cooperation more necessary than ever," Macron said during a summit session.
He added that in a troubled international environment, where some have sought to question multilateralism in health, France would stand alongside the World Health Organization and all the international organizations in attendance.
According to Macron, the summit helped advance several concrete initiatives, including the launch of an international pact aimed at preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics, and the integration of health issues into climate negotiations, national contributions and countries' adaptation plans. These efforts align with the Belem Health Action Plan adopted at the COP30 conference in the Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil.
The three-day summit brought together heads of state and government from around the world, representatives of relevant international and regional organizations, scientists, as well as representatives from the private sector, development banks and youth groups. It aims at accelerating the implementation of the One Health approach, which is a long-established and widely shared concept that recognizes human health, animal health and the health of ecosystems are closely interconnected.
