In the past few years, the world has made massive strides in preventing and treating HIV and other communicable diseases. However, bringing medicines, commodities and health services to the underserved is still far too complex and expensive. The access gap is widening and status quo cannot be sustained.

It is critical to scale up the global movement against infectious diseases to save millions of lives.  The global health scenario is changing - non-communicable diseases are now the leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Today we now have to think of comprehensive and sustained access to health - the challenge to provide medicines and care, often over a lifetime, to billions of people cannot be left to future generations to decide.

Without delay, we must transform the way we address the challenges of ill health and disease —holistically, globally and without pitting one against another in the pursuit of resources. The AIDS response is increasingly being hailed as the engine for addressing the diseases that affect the poor and people without a voice, because its strengths, reach and resources are being leveraged to achieve larger health and development goals.

To capitalize on this opportunity, I am calling for a “new deal” in which all partners—countries, civil society, the private sector, communities, health systems and international organizations—share responsibility for delivering a truly global health response that is smart, efficient and integrated.  

Shared responsibility is not just about everyone putting money in the common pot. Countries must go further, taking on differentiated responsibilities according to their capacities. It is a new paradigm of partnership—a shift away from external dependence and toward country-owned and country-led responses to HIV and health. This approach will rely heavily on the involvement of civil society and communities to come to full fruition.

This new deal must also expand the meaning of health to embrace human rights—of women and girls, young people, sexual minorities, people with disabilities, mothers and children and people made vulnerable by poverty and stigma. It must be deeply rooted in strengthening social welfare systems and addressing the social determinants of health.

This World Health Summit brings a singular opportunity to construct the frame of this historic new deal.